Tears of a Lotus
by Kelekiah Galadrian
Summary: Above anything else in the world, Kel hates destiny. With Shadi and Ishizu on her back all the time about it, she finds destiny, even if it isn't her own, difficult to avoid. What happens when she meets the center of trouble, Yugi Moto himself? OC STORY
1. Gods Who Vex

**Lego: **Welcome, one and all! I'd like to bid hello to both Millennial Star readers who continue to support me with this story and to new readers who are just barely joining us. I promise to stick with it this time, I really do. First off, I want you to know that both Kel and Kiara have gone through revamps and that this story has more of Kel's past, Kiara in general, and all other major players. Also, I will include the general disclaimer in this chapter for the entire story, so any other disclaimers will be presented on a chapter-by-chapter basis. I'll also include a section of small notes on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Please always note that I enjoy any and all reviews, and will accept questions, constructive criticisms, and tips. Please enjoy Tears of a Lotus!

**Notes/Warnings: **". . ." is regular speech, '. . .' is mental communication, / . . . / is memories, and italics are thoughts though it can be the mind responding to verbally spoken comments. This is an OC story. Don't like, don't read. Since this is fanfiction and involves _characters who weren't there before_, things from canon _will _change. Don't like it? Deal with it. As a smaller note, I will mostly stick to the dubbed names, though there are a few exceptions.

**6/30/12 Edit:** Changed a term in here as the characters at this time do not know Yami is a former pharaoh.

**7/1/12 Edit:** Realized that Kel's prophecy was missing a line. Inserted it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own YuGiOh. I own the idea for this story and Kel.

_Tears of a Lotus_

_Chapter 1: Gods Who Vex_

"It's almost time."

The cool, desert breeze tugged at Ishizu's concealed hair as the Egyptian turned to face Shadi. "I trust you have spoken with her."

The spirit shook his head, his pupil-less eyes revealing his irritation. "She refuses to see me."

The Egyptian's deep blue eyes narrowed and a frown crossed her lips. "You must see her." She removed her veil. "The Pharaoh's destiny requires her presence."

"I will try again." The spirit inclined his head. "I wish you a safe trip to Domino."

Ishizu turned back to the sandy, Egyptian horizon. Twinkling stars poked through the dark abyss.

"Goodbye." Her hand went to the golden trinket at the base of her neck. She received no answer and knew he was gone. Her last words weren't meant for Shadi anyway. "My Pharaoh, aid will come."

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Piercing violet eyes stared down from the great height, encompassing all that occurred below. Kel allowed little emotion to leak from them, preferring to keep others out.

Two sets of teens—four in one set, five in the other—wearing the Domino High School uniform stood facing each other in the center of the abandoned street. Joey Wheeler and his brunette friend held their place at the front of the smaller group with the only girl and short Yugi Moto a few feet behind them.

Across from them, the five thugs—or bullies, if one preferred to call them that—cracked their knuckles and smirked at the obviously weaker group.

"What do you want?" Joey growled in Japanese, his Brooklyn accent ringing clear.

"That pretty piece of jewelry," the foremost teen—most likely the leader of what appeared to be a gang—said. Kel fingered the golden, teardrop-shaped trinket around her neck as Joey moved to shield Yugi even more.

"You can't have my Millennium Puzzle," Yugi squeaked, obviously trying to sound braver than he looked—even his tri-colored hair quivered. Kel's mouth twitched as she reached up to wrap a section of golden hair behind her ear.

"That's what you think." The teen closest to the leader bypassed his superior and slowly approached the group of four.

Joey rushed forward, swinging widely at the bold thug. Two other gang members joined their companion and struck out to stop the blonde from going any further. The male brunette bent his knees and shoved off the ground in an attempt to help his friend out, completely oblivious to the final fighting member—after all, the leader couldn't _possibly_ spare a moment to help his subordinates out. The final member snuck around to get to the two most vulnerable of the four.

Without a thought, Kel leapt off the roof and braced herself. Her bent knees absorbed most of the impact with the cement, leaving her without pain. Rather than straighten, she maintained her pose in order to shift into her fighting stance. Her new opponent froze with wide eyes even as Yugi and his friend whirled around behind her.

"I do not believe it is polite to sneak up on people like that." Kel bounced her fists up and down in front of her, voice taunting him to come forward. The thug frowned and growled at her.

_Come and get it, big boy. . . ._ As if responding to her inward thoughts, the thug charged forward with a fist raised. A smirk lit Kel's lips. Men, after all, could be _so_ stupid.

Kel dropped to the ground and slid to the side, catching herself with her palms and throwing both feet out. They caught the thug's legs and sent him crashing to the ground. Kel jumped to her feet and darted around him, shoving a shocked Yugi and friend to the side.

"Get out of here, you idiots. You'll only be in the way." Honestly, didn't they know they were in the middle of a _fight?_ Sunlight poured down from the sky and brought out the silver streaks in Kel's hair as she dipped down to avoid a blow to the head. The thug's momentum sent him stumbling forward when his fist didn't make its mark. The girl screamed and jerked to the side right before the thug reached her.

Kel rolled her eyes and leapt onto his back to keep him from rising. "Get. Out. Of. Here. _Now._"

Wide plum eyes stared back at her from Yugi's pale face. A heartstring twanged slightly at the fear Kel had caused him, but she shook it off. Right then, that wasn't very important. A growl from the thug sent Yugi and his friend scurrying away down the street in the direction they'd originally come from. Kel turned cold eyes onto the male below her.

"Now you've gone and upset me." Long fingers reached down and pulled her dagger out of its sheath. "I don't appreciate that."

The thug jerked underneath her at the sight of the silver blade and a whimper spewed from his lips. Kel's violet eyes narrowed as the dagger came down with a near-silent whoosh. The hilt slammed into his temple with a thump, successfully knocking him unconscious.

Kel's eyes swept over the fray of people up ahead, scanning for anything she could find. Joey and his brunette friend had succeeded in knocking out a single gang member, though another one tended to what looked like a broken nose, curled up on the ground some feet away from the fight. The blonde and brunette still contended with the final thug while the leader looked on from a safe distance. Kel slipped into the mouth of the closest alleyway, eyes ever watchful. The shadow from a nearby building hid her from any remaining witnesses, regardless of the side.

Despite what Shadi had said about Yugi, she still wasn't sure she wanted to be involved in it. She had come to Domino as asked, but meant to merely watch from afar. She had only allowed herself to assist in this fight because they were horribly outnumbered. They could take care of themselves now . . . right?

Fate seemed determined to spite her. The leader moved forward and slammed a fist into the brunette's nose, effectively removing him from the fight.

"Tristan!" An exhausted Joey looked down helplessly at his friend.

Kel winced. The idiot was going to get himself killed by being so distracted. Joey cried out in pain as a fist connected with his jaw. He crumpled to the ground with a groan.

_You are going to regret this._ Even as the thought came to her, Kel rushed forward and leapt onto the final thug's back. The impact sent him to the ground, leaving Kel to use her momentum to crash into the leader's chest. She shoved him down and let a fist catch him in the face. Surprised eyes met hers, though she only returned it with a glare.

"Get off of me, you freak." He struggled against her and rolled out from underneath her. His eyes jumped from object to object wildly and he seemed to be in a panic. They seemed to say, "This wasn't in the plan."

Kel put all of her weight onto her hands and kicked out, feeling a foot connect with his face once again. He cried out as he fell to the ground, landing on his back. She darted to her feet and jumped, slamming into his stomach with the force of an elephant behind her. His eyes widened and his mouth opened though no sound escaped from it. Kel spit on him and pressed a foot against his throat, closing off his air. She held it there until his eyelids fell in unconsciousness.

"You're crazy." Joey sat up, a hand rubbing his swollen jaw. "I've never seen someone fight so viciously."

Kel stepped off the unconscious gang leader and dusted herself off. "What does it matter to you?"

The brunette—Tristan, Joey had called him—rose into a sitting position with Joey's support. He seemed dazed from the blow to his face.

"Joey! Tristan!"

Kel looked past the two injured males to see Yugi and his female friend approaching at a slow jog. Worry emanated from both of them in waves that nearly made Kel sick.

"I'm fine, Yug'." Joey allowed the girl to help him to his feet.

"We were so worried." The girl reached over and offered her assistance to Tristan as well.

Kel nonchalantly walked around the small group as Yugi fussed over his two friends.

Joey's eyes followed her amidst his reassurances to his much shorter companion. "Where do you think you're going?" His voice held a sharp note that Kel couldn't ignore.

"Wherever I please." Violet eyes dared him to defy her.

Four sets of eyes stared at her, though none as intensely as Yugi's. He held a hand protectively over the Sennen Eye that adorned the upside-down pyramid around his neck. Kel looked away from them as an unwanted memory surfaced within her. She coaxed her heart back to its proper place and shoved the past away.

"Do I know you?" Yugi cocked his head to the side, an innocent expression of confusion on his face.

"That depends, Yugi Moto." Kel turned her body to face them and folded her scarred arms—a set of three claw marks ornamented both biceps and shone a bright white against her tanned skin.

Neither party seemed surprised at her words though both Joey and the female gave her hard looks. Yugi's eyes, on the other hand, strayed to her scars where they stayed rooted.

"Kel Shadow." She rolled her eyes at her employer's grandson and shifted her weight to one foot.

"Wh-What?" Yugi seemed perplexed by Kel and she could sense a hint of fear in him as he stared her in the eyes.

Another eye roll. "My name. Remember it well."

A strange glow lit Yugi's eyes and he grinned. "Yugi Moto. These are my friends, Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, and Anzu Mazaki."

Kel eyed them all equally but refused to say anything. Anzu brushed brown bangs out of deep blue eyes and regarded Kel with a dark expression.

"Pleasure to meet you all," Kel finally said. "Now if you don't mind, I have places to be." She turned away for—hopefully—the last time and walked at a steady pace. Hurried footsteps stopped her from making it too far.

"You just saved us from a pretty bad beating. Please let me treat you to something." Hopeful eyes looked up at her from over her shoulder.

"I do not believe that would be wise." Kel refused to turn around, though she tilted slightly so he could see the dagger strapped to her pants. "I'm far too dangerous for you." She walked away even as Yugi called out after her. _I don't care how nice you all might be. I will _not _bend to Shadi's will that easily. Besides, I don't belong here._

Kel stuck a hand into the lavender pouch on her right hip and pulled out that annoying cell phone—she had a bone to pick with Ishizu.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

"No, Tristan, Kel is not a bounty hunter," Anzu said with a frown.

"Well why not?"

Yugi shook his head at his friends' conversation, though he didn't join in. How could he when his mind wouldn't leave the new girl alone? He didn't understand why she had to be so cold. Joey already didn't like her because she reminded him of Kaiba.

A sigh escaped him as he glanced at his walking companion. The spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, nicknamed Yami, had a frown, a furrowed brow, and wrinkled eyebrows plastered on his face. Yugi had a feeling he knew why, but he thought he'd ask anyway, albeit mentally—Yami could only be seen or heard by a wearer of the puzzle unless he switched places with Yugi; thanks to the item's magic, the spirit didn't even have to wear Yugi's form unless he really wanted to, which helped immensely in introducing the spirit to his friends.

'What's wrong?'

Yami jumped, glancing at the shorter teen. In the background, Joey and Tristan argued between bounty hunter and vampire, their voices gradually rising in volume.

"She's familiar," Yami replied aloud, vibrant violet orbs flashing. "I know she is. I just don't remember why."

Yugi suppressed another sigh. As he had suspected, another person appeared familiar to him, just like the spirit of the Millennium Ring had. Unfortunately, due to his friend's lost memories, Yami could never place any of them.

"She's obviously bothering you, too." Yami leveled him with a sharp look.

Yugi winced slightly. 'I can't understand why she wouldn't want to come with us. I mean, honestly, she took the time to help us out. What's so bad about that?'

"Most people don't go out of their way to help strangers and even if they do, they don't really want to continue any sort of acquaintanceship."

Yugi sighed and gave his yami a you're-not-helping look. Anything else he might've said was interrupted by a rather loud comment from Joey.

"No normal human could jump down from a roof like that and still be able to fight. She _has_ to be a vampire. _And _she fought viciously."

"Vampires are pale and can't go outside under the sun," Tristan countered, "not to mention vampires don't exist."

Yugi heard Anzu mutter something about needing female friends.

'No matter what, I hope we run into her again. I'd like to be her friend. I think she needs one.' Yugi brushed blonde bangs out of his eyes.

Yami smiled at him as he flicked one golden bang away from his face. "You're very kindhearted." He faded into the Millennium Puzzle just before the Kame Game Shop came into view around the corner. The arguing teens walked up to the two-story building and continued around to go in through the back.

Anzu held back to walk with Yugi. "Are you okay? You look upset."

Yugi waved her off as he held the door open for her. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"I have every reason to worry about you. Isn't that what friends do?" She nodded her head in his direction and went through the open doorway.

Yugi couldn't help the grin that split his face. Of course his friends would worry about him. After all, he did get into a lot of trouble because of the puzzle. It was only natural that they should feel that way.

The door clanged shut behind him as the small group kicked off their shoes. Yugi followed Anzu through the small living room and up the flight of stairs.

"Well, yeah, but . . . still." A pout rested on his lips and he would've said more if it weren't for the box sitting in his way. His foot caught the edge of it and down Yugi went. Each jutting stair pressed into the poor teen's back and sent blasts of pain through him.

Yami chuckled despite his partner's pain and Yugi mentally glared at him.

'Oh, shut up, you.' The short teen pulled himself to his feet and called up to Anzu, ignoring her confused face. "I'm fine. Don't worry 'bout me." His lower back popped as he scrambled up the stairs. He landed a moment later with a sigh on the bed in his room. Its soft mattress encompassed him and he almost closed his eyes.

Anzu plopped down in the only plush chair in the room. "So, what shall we do now?"

Yugi shrugged as best he could from his position on the bed. Joey and Tristan fell silent and the former adopted a thoughtful look.

"Maybe we could . . . have a duel?" Joey looked up hopefully at Yugi.

The shorter teen slowly sat up. "Sure." A thought struck him and he made a face. "Why don't you set it up? I'm going to go talk to Grandpa a moment." He bounded out the door and down the stairs, nearly falling when he got to the bottom. Stocking-covered feet slid across the tile floor with the ease of a bird on the wind.

Grandpa waved a customer out of the shop and turned to his grandson with a smile. "If you keep doing that, you'll scare all my customers away."

Yugi blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry." He leaned against the counter, recovering quickly. "Do you know a girl by the name of Kel Shadow?"

Yami's presence suddenly increased as he fazed out of the puzzle to stand beside Yugi, violet eyes fixed on the elder Moto.

"Of course I do," Grandpa said with a smile, wiping his hands on a nearby rag—for what reason, Yugi could only guess. "She works here on weekdays during school and on Saturdays."

Yugi's jaw dropped. "No way. How long has that been? How come I've never seen her around?"

His grandfather chuckled. "She's only been here a couple of months, but you're always gone on Saturdays during store hours." He pursed his lips. "Kel doesn't seem to be the most social of people. She avoids people as often as she can."

Yugi frowned. According to what they had witnessed earlier, that seemed to be the case. He glanced at Yami out of the corner of his eye and found a similar expression on his face.

"I take it you've run into her?"

A blush adorned Yugi's cheeks. "Yeah, actually, earlier today. She didn't really want to have anything to do with us. She even called herself dangerous." The frown returned. _What I don't get is why she helped us in the first place._

Grandpa sighed. "That sounds like her." He turned away and ran his fingers over the edge of the counter. "Took me forever to get her to agree to come work for me." He glanced over his shoulder toward his confused grandson. "If you run into her again, you should try harder to be her friend. I think she needs one."

"I agree." Yugi nodded. "I'll do my best!"

A couple walked into the store and Grandpa greeted them with a wide smile. Yugi slipped out and darted up the stairs, a newfound determination and bubble of glee settling into his veins.

"Alright, so let's get this duel going."

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

The lavender-colored cell phone snapped shut and its owner shoved it into her pouch. A growl escaped Kel as she angrily grabbed at her golden-blonde-streaked-silver locks and roughly pulled the mess into a high ponytail. How dare that woman ignore her like that. Hot blood pumped through her veins and spurred her toward the museum.

Kel burst through the front doors of the museum and proceeded to a door marked "Employees Only." In a matter of seconds, she had gone down the stairs and crossed the sandy-colored tile to where she knew Ishizu's office lay. The door handle created a nice hole in the wall and the thud it made temporarily satisfied the enraged blonde.

Violet eyes on fire, Kel slammed her hands down on Ishizu's desk, though the dark-haired woman seemed unfazed. "What sort of nonsense are you trying to pull here?"

Ishizu moved a pile of documents out of the way of Kel's trembling hands but didn't raise dark blue eyes from the table-top. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, my princess."

Kel hissed at the mention of her title, sweeping any and all paper products onto the floor. "Don't play games with me, Ishizu. I know you paid those boys to attack Yugi and his friends." Her breaths came ragged as the fire of her temper burned higher and higher within her.

"Ishizu is not the one behind this, Your Highness."

Kel whirled around and met the blank gaze of the resident spirit. "Shadi." Vibrant violet narrowed and her voice dropped. "I should have known." She folded her arms, squeezing to keep herself from reacting violently, then backed up so both Ishizu and Shadi stayed in her vision. "You came up with this plan to bring me closer to Yugi and Ishizu agreed to actually pay them. Clever."

"You cannot keep fighting us. Your destiny demands it."

An intense glare erupted from Kel's eyes as she slid her dagger out and tossed it in Shadi's direction. It harmlessly impaled the wall right behind his see-through form.

"My destiny has nothing to do with the Millennium items," Kel snarled. "Do you not remember my prophecy, _Shadi?_" Without waiting for a response, the blonde tore off her violet halter top and let it fall to the floor. Ishizu immediately looked away despite only being able to see part of the tattoo—Osiris the Heaven Dragon (though not Osiris himself, it represented him) spread his wings across the bottom of Kel's shoulder blades and spiraled around her midsection.

Eyes on fire, Kel recited the blasted prophecy that had haunted Kel her entire life. As though in synchronization with her words, the tattoo glowed a soft red that matched the dragon's scales.

"_A child born of sun and moon_

_Will one day come to claim the throne._

_She will bring peace_

_To the land of her fathers._

_She will take her legacy_

_And purge the world_

_Of the blackness that threatens it._

_Marked as Osiris's Heir,_

_She will save us all._

_Fight the blackness_

_And destroy it_

_Or be destroyed._

_Then shall she be swept_

_Into the depths of the land of the Gods._

_The skies will weep with her pain_

_And the sun will shine on her day of glory._

_Evil beware Osiris's Heir."_

The blonde stooped to retrieve her top and pulled it over her head, covering the cursed tattoo, and walked straight through Shadi—it didn't bother her as much as it unnerved him—to recover her dagger, which slid back into its sheath. She had almost reached the doorway when the infernal spirit spoke.

"Then perhaps we should consult Osiris on this matter."

Ice descended upon Kel and rooted her to the floor. She glared at Shadi's infuriatingly blank face over her shoulder. "Why should be bother him with such a trivial matter? As a god, he is very busy tending to more important issues."

"As his heir, you are his most pressing affair." Blank blue eyes narrowed just slightly as the turbaned spirit laid a hand on the Millennium Ankh.

A low growl issued forth from her lips before Kel turned around, leaning against the wall behind her. "Let's get this over with."

Shadi knelt on the floor, pressed his hands together, and closed his eyes. Ishizu joined him, a hand on her Millennium Necklace. As the male began to chant, Kel rolled her eyes.

After having dealt with Shadi and Ishizu for quite a long time, she had discovered three things she hated most concerning the two of them; misuse of powers, manipulation, and consulting Osiris.

Ishizu used her Millennium Necklace for _everything, _and Kel had learned that was _not _an exaggeration. Shadi, believing himself to be doing the gods' will, manipulated everything around him to move destiny forward, or so he claimed. Any time Kel refused to go along with their plans, the both of them insisted upon consulting Osiris. There were times Kel had managed to get out of such endeavors, but others she couldn't, such as her current situation.

A red mist settled in the room and pulsed like a heartbeat. A figure decked in red robes materialized between Kel and the two kneeling Egyptians. He kept his back to Shadi and Ishizu, instead facing Kel. A sly smile adorned his lips as he slowly approached her and held out a hand.

"Dearest Kelekiah." Osiris took Kel's hand when she didn't reach out for his. "To what purpose have you called on me today?"

The blazing fire within her heart shrunk a little in response to her chosen deity's appearance (even though he dared to call her _that _name), though she kept silent and leveled him with a steady gaze.

"We have called upon thee, my lord, to ask what you would have Kel do." Shadi's voice held a reverence he reserved only for the Egyptian gods.

Osiris didn't even turn around. He kept crystal blue eyes focused on Kel. "Concerning what?"

"We wish her to take part in Yugi Moto's destiny."

Osiris's eyes flashed though his face made no change. The smile widened slightly. "I believe such an endeavor would be to your benefit. Do as Shadi wishes."

Without lowering her eyes, Kel bowed over their locked hands. She said nothing and straightened, the fire flaring as Osiris released her hand.

"Be a good girl, my heir." He slowly faded, taking the dissipating red mist with him.

Kel whirled around and let loose the hardest punch she could. Her fist went straight through the wall. She ignored Ishizu's plea to control herself and tore through the doorway. She took the stairs three at a time, threw open the door at the top, and burst out of the museum.

The sun highlighted her golden hair as red colored her cheeks. Her fists shook at her sides and her eyes burned with rage. "I have my own destiny. Yugi can deal with his own."


	2. Spirits of the Annoying Sort

**Lego: **I have to admit, I was pretty sad when I came home from vacation to find that I only got one story alert for this to add to the previous two, the three favs, and one review I had before I left. Utter sadness to that, I tell you. But I want to thank The Duelist's Heiress for supporting me and staying with me. I really appreciate that :) I probably should've waited a bit longer before I posted this, but I just felt like it, so here it is.

**Notes/Warnings: **I would like it to be clear that I will follow Japanese culture as best I can with the knowledge I have. However, I don't understand Japanese schools to the full extent, so their system will follow the American high schools I'm used to.

**Edit 6/2/12: **Inconsistency in my personal timeline—This chapter takes place on a Wednesday, and the planned "date" is for Saturday in my timeline, therefore when Yugi asks Anzu if she'd do it "tomorrow," it was initially incorrect. I have fixed it.

_Chapter 2: Spirits of the Annoying Sort_

A small melody broke the morning silence, removing Kel from her reverie. The lucky bird, source of the beautiful song, had no inkling of its importance. Without it, the Egyptian probably wouldn't have been able to force herself to abandon sleep. Not that she wanted to take notice of the real world, but it wouldn't do her well if she didn't at least go out to train a bit—letting well-toned muscles rest for too long only caused painful training in order to rebuild them.

Kel rose from the simple bed and stretched. Stiff muscles slowly relaxed and adjusted to fit their owner's movement. Once satisfied, she moved across the room to her dresser, opened the topmost drawer, and extracted a sleeveless bluetop patterned with stars, then reached into the drawer just below it and pulled out a pair of light denim flares. Without removing her Crystal, she stripped down to nothing more than her breast band and underwear then quickly dressed into the outfit she'd just picked out. She then added white socks and matching flats with bows on top.

In order to complete her daily getting-ready-for-the-day ritual, the Egyptian brushed golden blonde tresses. When complete, they fell around her shoulders, mixing in with three silver streaks. She pulled most of her hair into a messy bun, leaving two sections at the front to hang down.

Kel stared at herself in the mirror and noticed how white her scars seemed that morning. They stuck out on her tanned skin like an oasis in the midst of a hot desert, only she found them lacking in flattery. Unwanted memories from 3000 years past came unbidden to her mind, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

Strapping her lavender pouch and dagger sheath to her pants, Kel tucked her hair behind her ears and quietly left the small apartment. She locked the door behind herself as her Shadow magic lightly brushed the wards around her living space—it wouldn't do for a common thief to find his way into her rooms where he was not wanted.

Two months previous, Kel had moved to Domino City. A week or two beforehand, she'd visited to scope out the landscape and discovered a connection with the ocean—while not the Nile River, it pleased her.

She'd gone searching for an apartment that would give her the shortest route to the beach without putting her into too much danger at the hands of tsunamis. The end result provided her a fifteen minute walk from the apartment complex to a less popular area near the ocean—that was mostly because it resided right next to the docks. Luckily for the Egyptian, not only was she close to the beach, but the walk to work—at the Kame Game Shop—only lasted roughly fifteen minutes as well.

Kel stretched her arms above her head then rested both hands in the pockets of her jeans. She warned herself not to get too lost in training if she didn't want to be late to work. After all, despite her unwillingness to get involved in Yugi's destiny, she still needed to pay rent, and she didn't want to inconvenience Mr. Moto.

The gentle ocean breeze brushed the grass and it swayed to the rhythm of the air's motion. The sun poked out above the horizon to illuminate the empty beach in front of her. A small smile lit Kel's lips—it would feel good to dance with the wind.

Sand crunched underneath her shoes as she left the sidewalk and ran down the hill. Her usual spot waited for her at the bottom. A few feet from her, the ocean licked the edge of the beach before retreating as another wave prepared to crash. The rhythmic push and pull of the ocean tides soothed her soul as the Egyptian sat in the sand and stretched; only an _idiot _wouldn't stretch before exercise of any sort.

Anyone passing might think Kel a little odd for working out in jeans, but she had learned it best to be prepared for anything—one never knew when an enemy would pounce from the shadows. She'd tried to convince herself to wear something easier to move around in to make things better, but anything that would be free and comfortable wouldn't fit the current fashions well enough. Above all else, Kel didn't want to stick out and make herself more of a target.

Kel hopped to her feet, bouncing in place at the prospect of a good run. Sand didn't make the best training ground, but she would make do. Bending both legs, Kel took off down the beach. At the end of her secluded area stood a sand dune that separated her from the more populated part of the beach. It was at the bottom of this that Kel spun on her heel and started back the other direction.

Thirty laps later, Kel stopped at her starting spot, rolling her shoulders. It wasn't as much as she normally did, but although running was good as a warm-up, spars were far more entertaining. Stretching her arms above her head, the blonde Egyptian moved to the middle of the small beach and slid into a fighting stance.

Over the course of the 3000 years or so that she'd been on the run, Kel had spent countless hours learning different martial arts and although she liked some more than others, she meshed them together. In general, she had roughly fifteen sets of spars she practiced daily to keep herself in top form.

The cool breeze brushed her exposed skin as Kel sparred with the empty air. It wrapped itself around her and danced, following her fluid movements as though an extension of her body. In the midst of a twirled high-kick, the ringing sound of metal on metal rode on sound waves in all directions. The silver blade flashed in the sun as it cut and swiped at imagined enemies.

At the end of the seventh set, Kel lowered her arms and stood facing the ocean. Its waves rolled over each other in their attempts to reach the beach. Vibrant violet narrowed slightly before the Egyptian turned her head to the side, hand tightening on the hilt of her dagger. At her gaze, a light blush fluttered to the cheeks of the white-haired teen standing on the sidewalk above her.

"There something I can help you with or are you just going to stare at me all day?"

The teen rubbed a hand through long white locks as his other hand fiddled with the bottom of his blue jacket—she recognized it as the Domino High uniform for males and frowned lightly. "N-No, I was just watching you. You're fascinating." His chocolate-brown eyes widened and he waved both hands in front of him. "I'm sorry, that sounded weird."

Kel raised an eyebrow as she looked him up and down. Long white hair, brown eyes, pale skin, obviously male, but rather small despite his height. The only really interesting thing about him lay in the golden object hanging from a thin rope around his neck—the Millennium Ring. Shadi had informed her that the Millennium items were an important part of Yugi's destiny and they would eventually all come together. It shouldn't have surprised her to see another one (especially not after seeing Ishizu hanging around with the blasted necklace), but a sense of foreboding filled her at the sight of Mahad's old item.

"Where did you study to learn all that?" Curious eyes fixed on her from underneath spiky bangs.

Deciding to humor him, Kel shrugged a single shoulder. "Many places."

The teen blinked, obviously expecting more. When she didn't offer anything else, the blush returned and he smiled. "I'm Ryou Bakura, by the way. And please, call me Ryou."

"Kel Shadow." She turned to face him and folded her arms, hand still clenched tightly around her dagger's hilt.

Ryou's eyes slowly dropped to take root on the now visible Crystal hanging from her neck. Muscles immediately tensed, and a thin flame of wariness encompassed her heart.

"I-Is that a Millennium item?"

Sparks of energy passed through the air, invisible to those not accustomed to its touch. The magic rippled across Kel's skin and a single glance located its source, the ring around Ryou's neck. She didn't have the opportunity to respond to him, not that she really wanted to. As two sections of his hair stood on end and chocolate-brown eyes narrowed, Shadi shimmered into view a few feet from him.

"Your Highness, I must insist that you leave immediately."

Kel bristled at the mention of her title, eyes shifting to Ryou's form. Mild irritation had settled onto his face.

"What are you doing here?" he spat, sliding into a defensive pose. Chocolate-brown eyes rimmed with soft lavender darted back and forth between Kel and Shadi. The female couldn't help the slight raising of an eyebrow—the teen's voice had dropped in pitch a little bit and it was impossible to mistake the harsh tone it held.

Shadi turned blank blue eyes to the blonde Egyptian. "My princess, I must insist."

Fire burned within her heart and licked the edges of her soul. She slowly made her way up the slope then stopped between the two males, one shoulder shielding the one inhabiting Ryou's body—though this new person resembled the teen she'd just met, she knew it was not Ryou. "I'm afraid I must decline."

"Really, my princess. You do not understand what is going on here." Shadi's narrowed eyes flicked to the teen behind Kel and a spark of anger lighted in solid blue irises.

"Enlighten me."

Dark brown eyebrows dipped down as the spirit pointed an accusatory finger in the teen's general direction. "The Millennium Ring houses the spirit of Thief King Bakura and he is Yugi's enemy. For your sake, I must insist that you leave and never come near him again."

Kel's frown melted into a glare even as a low growl erupted from behind her. Adrenaline pumped into her veins, forcing her to jump to the side before Bakura could push her out of his way. As he passed, she caught the look of bloodlust mixed with anger in those chocolate-brown orbs and, without thinking, she reached out and took hold of his forearm. Muscles tightened under her grasp, but she held him in a vice-like grip. Kel arched her other hand back then let it fly forward, releasing her hold on the dagger. It shot toward Shadi and embedded itself into the cement at his feet; only the upper half of the blade and the hilt poked out of the ground.

"I do not think it polite for one of your status to order me around like a child. Be gone, Shadi. Your presence is not wanted." Violet burned and Kel thought it wise that the spirit heeded her unspoken warning—while the material dagger could not hurt him, her Shadow magic could.

Pure rage burned in blue irises. "You will regret this, my princess."

After the infuriating spirit dissipated, Kel released her hand on Bakura's arm and let him face her. Though his fury had died down, irritation still marred his features.

"Who are you? Shadi's little pet?"

Kel held back a snarl. "Shadi is a meddling fool who does not understand what is best for him. _Never _associate me with him." She bypassed him to retrieve her dagger but stopped at Bakura's low voice.

"To which royal family do you belong, _Your Highness_?"

Kel flinched as though he'd struck her. "I am of Egyptian line." She glanced at him over her shoulder and read the suspicion in his eyes. "The Nameless Pharaoh is my father."

Even as his eyes widened and mouth dropped open, irritation fed the fire around her heart. He wasn't really nameless, the world only thought that because his name had been forgotten. Kel knew it by heart, but infuriating meddling from Shadi and Ishizu (not to mention Osiris's vexing assistance) had forced her to never mention it.

"The lost princess? _You're _the lost princess? If you're at the center of Shadi's attention, I suppose it makes sense." Bakura sneered at her. "What are you doing here?"

Kel folded her arms and turned to face him completely. "I'm under orders to help Yugi Moto." She raised her topmost hand at the indignant look on his face. "Fear not, I'm not inclined to follow them."

Bakura's face melted into one of confusion, though a smirk quickly replaced the frown. "As long as you stay out of my way, I will not challenge you."

"I shall treat you the same." Kel inclined her head even as Bakura's white locks calmed, chocolate brown softened, and the hard lines of his face (most particularly in his jaw) melted into Ryou's gentle face.

Ryou jumped with wide eyes before a confused frown captured his lips. "W-Wait, weren't you just down there?" He looked back and forth between Kel and the beach.

Kel stretched both arms above her head then tucked silver streaks behind her ears. "Your spirit decided to pay me a visit." She stooped to retrieve her dagger for the second time but a small gasp made her pause once again.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

A small sigh escaped her lips as the blonde straightened, fixing violet eyes on the white-haired male. "Do not worry. He did nothing of the sort."

Light pink colored his cheeks as Ryou ran a hand through his spiky hair. "So, um, I don't think I ever received an answer to my question."

Kel suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and moved to his side. His slight jump at her approach didn't go unnoticed. She hooked a finger around the small silver chain and lifted it, raising the golden gem slightly.

Chocolate brown rooted to the engraving of a lotus flower that adorned the Crystal. "Oh, I suppose not then."

Wordlessly, Kel let it drop then once again moved to recover her dagger.

The male immediately darted to her side. "Let me get that for you."

Despite the calm his voice portrayed, Kel caught the confused note in his words—after all, she _had _been holding the dagger before Bakura took over. Ryou grabbed hold of the dark violet hilt and pulled. No surprise came to her when the blade stayed ingrained in the cement.

Kel knelt next to him, the rough sidewalk biting through her jeans and into her knees, and laid a cool hand on his warm one. He backed off at the look she shot him as the blonde reached deep into her magic core and plucked a violet strand from the seething mass at the center. It pulsed as it raced down her veins. A purple glow erupted around her right hand, engulfing it with a small blast of cold. The dagger immediately responded to the magic and almost seemed to jump to her skin as she held her hand close.

"How did you do that?" The awe in Ryou's voice attracted Kel's attention as she slid the Shadow Dagger into its sheath. His mouth had fallen open and white surrounded chocolate brown.

The blonde Egyptian shrugged as her eyes landed on the sunrise. "Aren't you going to be late for school?"

Ryou glanced down at the silver watched strapped to his wrist and yelped. "Oh goodness. I should go."

Kel suppressed a sigh at the hopeful look in his eyes, refraining from the tempting eye roll. It appeared as though the rest of her martial art sets would have to wait until that evening. If getting closer to Ryou meant going against Shadi, she was all for it.

"I can walk you partway, if you would like," she said quietly. "My work is on the way to the school."

A bright grin split the male's face. As he turned away, Kel turned vibrant violet heavenward. Getting used to people once again would be a long and hard ride.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Yugi suppressed a yawn as his chemistry teacher droned on and on. He wouldn't credit himself as the smartest kid in the school (leave that to Anzu or Ryou), but he had assumed he'd have the talent to at least _pass _the stupid science class.

A chuckle resounded through Yugi's mind. 'You might try actually paying attention. It would be beneficial to you.'

Color burned the teen's face and he buried his face in his arms. 'Shut up, Yami.' Despite his minor humiliation, a small smile curved Yugi's lips upward—the spirit had been a little down lately mostly due to Kel's attitude and the fact that her familiarity reminded him of the hole in his memories. Even if the amusement was at his expense, Yugi didn't mind . . . too much.

The blessed ringing of the bell released him from his teacher's monotone voice and the teen gathered his belongings before shooting out of the classroom as fast as he could. He met Ryou on the way out.

"Why did I let you convince me to take that class?" A pout crossed Yugi's face at Ryou's small laugh.

"Chemistry isn't that bad." A smile graced the white-haired teen's lips and chocolate brown shone with something that bordered on excitement.

Yugi couldn't help a raised eyebrow as the two walked toward the front of the school. "Do you love it that much?"

Ryou blinked then shook his head. "I was thinking of something else."

"What then?" Yugi dropped his school bag to the floor as he collected his outside shoes in the entryway.

The white-haired teen copied his actions and a small blush lit his cheeks. "I met someone this morning."

Yugi's heart skipped a beat. "A girl?" He pulled off his school shoes and tugged on black-and-white tennis.

Yami's presence in his mind increased and Yugi knew he was watching even as Ryou nodded shyly. 'Do you think . . . ?'

Yugi mentally nodded. 'It's entirely possible.' He leapt to his feet and gripped Ryou's arm, startling the other male. "Who was she?" Plum danced as excitement bubbled in his chest, threatening to burst forth.

The blush darkened. "Kel, her name was Kel." A soft smile slowly captured Ryou's lips as the white-haired teen turned away from Yugi. "I-I should be going."

As Ryou walked away, a grin split Yugi's face and relief flooded his mind—Yami retreated to his soul room in the puzzle at the mention of such news. So she was still around. And she'd met Ryou. Yugi punched the air with a shout. They had a chance of finding her again. He retrieved his school bag then strutted toward the front doors, heedless of the rain that sprinkled from the dark clouds. Nothing could ruin his day now.

When he reached the doorway, he noticed Anzu standing there, a frown on her gentle lips. Yugi touched her arm and apologized sheepishly when she jumped.

"Tristan and Joey are on clean-up duty today," he said, running a hand through ebony locks. "How about we meet at the game shop in an hour?"

Anzu seemed to contemplate the suggestion before nodding. "Sounds good to me. That'll give me enough time to take care of some homework."

The grin returned. "Awesome." Yugi turned to leave when a thought occurred to him. Considering Kel's attitude, it would take a while for her to warm up to them. Until then, Yami needed a distraction. Plum glanced to meet dark blue and his smile turned mischievous. What better diversion than a girl?

Checking to see that Yami was too preoccupied to pay attention, Yugi turned back around to face his only female friend. "Hey, Anzu, will you do me a favor?"

The brunette tucked a section of hair behind her ear as dark blue glided straight to him. "What kind of favor?"

Yugi's grip on his bag tightened. "Yami's been kinda down lately, what with all this business with Kel, and I think he needs something to get his mind off of it all. He needs a day to relax." His heart suddenly pounded incessantly in his chest and the male shifted shyly. "You think you could show him around Domino this Saturday, just to hang out? I think it would really help distract him."

Surprise filtered through Anzu's eyes before the taller girl smiled. "Of course. Anything to help a friend out."

Gratitude glittered atop plum. "Thanks, you're the best. I'll give you details later." Yugi offered her a single-handed wave. "See you in a bit then." A sense of giddiness settled over him as the short teen darted out into the rain. For what reason, he couldn't even begin to fathom.


	3. Egyptians Who Don't Know Their Place

**Lego: **Glad to see there are new readers since the last time I posted, but so far, it's just The Duelist's Heiress as a reviewer. I really appreciate her support and although I'm grateful for the favs and alerts, I really wish you guys would drop me a review, even if it's just, "I like this," or, "I like this character," or, "I like what this character did," or even, "I really like this," or something. Please, reviews make me happy and they push me to want to update, they really do. As an unrelated side note, though it probably won't stay this way, I'm on an update-every-four-days stroll, so yeah. Unless I can finish chapter four within the next four days, that might die XP We'll see.

**Notes/Warnings: **I own both Kiara and Kiona. And just so you know, Millennial Star is officially _gone. _I deleted it this morning.

_Chapter 3: Egyptians Who Don't Know Their Place_

Kiara shuffled from foot to foot and tucked a section of long red hair behind an ear. She tugged at the hem of her pink jacket, constituted as part of the Domino High girl's uniform. Where was Kiona? School had ended over half an hour previous and she'd heard no word from her elder sister. She pulled a dark red cell phone out of her bag and glanced at the clock for the third time in the last five minutes.

Before moving to Domino City, the Jensen family had lived in California. They'd only lived in their new house for a week and a half and the two daughters, Kiona and Kiara, had only been in school for two days. Still, Kiara couldn't underestimate her sister's ability to attract boys like a magnet. A sigh escaped the redhead. Knowing Kiona, she already had three dates planned. Why her parents forced her to wait for her flirty elder sister, Kiara would never know.

A high-pitched laugh wafted down the hallway and Kiara turned tiredly in its direction. Kiona walked beside a black-haired male wearing the Domino High boy's uniform (a traditional blue jacket and blue pants, though he wore the jacket open and with the collar up), a single dice earring, and a red bandana with black diamonds across the center. Forest green eyes looked out above a charming smile.

_Great_. _Kiona's picked up a player. How nice. _Despite her thoughts, Kiara plastered a sweet smile on her face. She'd never be able to understand her sister's taste in men, but it didn't mean she had to be rude. Of course, she would never voice her inner thoughts aloud—boys frightened her. As her sister and the taller male came closer, Kiara's heartbeat fluttered.

"Kiara, dearest, this is Duke Devlin," Kiona called upon noticing her younger sister. "He owns the Black Crown Game Shop downtown and he's the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters."

Kiara blinked. Oh duh. She should know that. Kiona practically _idolized _the teen and ranted about him day in and day out, though Kiara had never expected him to be attending their new high school—he was, after all, a resident of California like they themselves were.

Duke laughed and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you."

"M-My pleasure." Kiara did her best to keep her voice from wavering, surprised to note the male's gentle but firm grip.

"Duke has kindly offered to show me his game shop. Want to join us?" Kiona's ice-blue eyes dared her to accept the invitation.

Kiara shook her head. "I'm afraid I must decline. I have homework to get to." The redhead bowed to the two and turned to leave. She bristled slightly at the idea of having to wait so long for her outrageous sister, but quickly shrugged it off. If Kiona wanted to flirt and have fun, she could, just as long as Kiara was forewarned so she could actually live her life.

By the time Kiara reached the entryway, the rain poured from the sky, creating a dark and blurry wall. The redhead groaned as she quickly changed her shoes to a pair of dark red tennis—despite not matching her outfit at all, Kiara preferred them to the flats that went with her uniform. She held her school bag over her head and darted out into the rain.

A flash of lightning lit the sky, followed almost immediately by a clap of thunder. Kiara slid across the wet pavement at the end of the courtyard and came to a stop under the small shelter the archway offered. The cold bit through her skimpy and less-than-warm uniform, a shiver raising the hair on her arms. The redhead would just have to find cover wherever available as she ran home. It wasn't the most appealing situation, but it would have to do.

The storm raged on, kicking up a bitter wind, and spurred Kiara to move on. She hated that her house was so far away and she had no way of getting there any faster than walking. Since she didn't have a job and the precious money that came with it, Kiara couldn't take the bus or any other public transportation.

More than thirty minutes later, Kiara collapsed, soaked to the bone, on the porch of a small building. The sign atop it read, "Kame Game Shop," and the glass door held nothing that claimed it to be closed, so the redhead entered the shop. The bell above the door tinkled as she passed through the doorway and stopped. Shelves upon shelves of games met her eyes, running from the floor to the low ceiling, and the entire left side of the store appeared to be dedicated to Duel Monsters.

As the home of the creator of Duel Monsters, the popular game had hit California first. Kiara had latched onto it almost immediately and struggled to become the best she could. Her parents were against the idea and although they didn't ban her from it, they refused to support her and looked down on the game. Because of that, she could never afford to enter any tournaments and her lack of a name in the Duel Monster world blocked her from any invitations. After the Duelist Kingdom tournament, popularity spiked in Japan, so it pleased Kiara when her father announced that was where they were moving. While there, Kiara prayed she would meet more duelists and be able to improve the way she wanted to.

"Hello, miss, may I help you?"

Kiara's reverie at the sight of all the Duel Monster booster packs shattered at the old voice. She turned her attention to the cash register at the back of the store and smiled. An old man with spiky hair and bangs stood behind the counter, a smile on his face that mirrored her own. Dark purple eyes looked out of a kind face.

A blush burst onto her cheeks. She shifted nervously, suddenly incredibly shy. "I-I was hoping I could use your store as a safe haven until the storm lets up. My house is another fifteen minutes from here and with this pouring rain, it'll take me at least ten extra to get there."

The old man's eyes widened and he stepped around the counter. "My goodness, you're soaked. Please, let me offer you a towel." Before Kiara could protest, he turned away and shouted through the open door at the back of the store. "Yugi! Could you come down? And bring a towel with you, please!"

Kiara's heart froze and breath wouldn't come to her. She only knew of one person in the entire world with that name. Yugi Moto. Could she have stumbled upon his home? Her suspicions were confirmed when the famous duelist burst through the door, large fluffy towel in hand. Truth be told, he was shorter than she'd imagined. Plum eyes darted to her from under spiky, golden-blonde bangs and a grin split his face.

"Is it really raining that hard outside?" The teen appeared to recognize her uniform and beckoned to her without dropping the towel. "Please, come back with me." He disappeared through the doorway and Kiara slowly followed him.

As she passed the elder Moto, she bowed in his direction. "Thank you so much." She caught his, "You're welcome," before stopping just past the door.

A staircase led to the upper level on her left and a living room lay in front of her. It had two doors—one in the far right corner that led outside and another along the left wall that she assumed went to a kitchen area—an entryway for shoes, and a gas fireplace in the back wall with a window beside it. A cream couch lay in the center of the room with two matching plush chairs on either side of it. Across from them against the right wall stood a television and a set of cupboards that probably held movies, game systems, and video games.

"You can take off as many wet things as you want and leave them in front of the fireplace to dry," Yugi said as he knelt in front of it and started a fire. Kiara wandered over to the back door and removed her shoes then carefully approached the shorter teen. She stripped off her socks, pink jacket, white long-sleeved shirt, and blue pleated skirt to leave behind a white camisole and light blue undershorts.

The redhead sneezed. "I hope you don't mind." She blushed as Yugi looked up at her and took her clothes from her. Matching pink adorned his cheeks.

"Don't worry about it." He handed her the towel and hung her clothes in front of the heat. "I'll get you a blanket to wrap up in." He disappeared up the stairs.

Kiara flung her head forward in order to wrap the towel around her long red hair. As soon as she had it perched atop her head, the redhead dug into her school bag and removed its contents. Luckily enough, the water hadn't seeped in far enough to damage anything. Kiara piled her textbooks, notebooks, and writing utensils off to the side and placed the bag with the rest of her wet clothing. She sat on the soft, cream carpet, cell phone in hand. Browsing through the contacts, she located her home phone number and pressed call. It rang three times before her mother picked up.

"Kiara? Where are you?"

Bright green eyes fixed on the floor. "I'm at the Kame Game Shop. It was pouring when I left the school and I'm soaking wet. The owner is letting me stay here until I'm dry."

"Well, hurry back soon." The disapproving note in her mother's voice didn't go unnoticed. "Call me when you leave."

A click confirmed Kiara's suspicions that her mother had hung up on her. She lowered the phone with a sigh, shutting it silently. The object fell to rest in her lap as Kiara bit back tears. Ever since her fascination with Duel Monsters, her mother had slowly distanced herself from the redhead and it hurt more than she could express.

Pounding forewarned her of Yugi's appearance as the teen darted down the stairs. He tossed a large blue blanket in her direction and plopped down in one of the plush chairs. "Here, use this."

Kiara wrapped the blanket around herself and, grabbing hold of her cell phone, climbed onto the couch. "Thanks for letting me stay." Her heart fluttered with both nervousness and embarrassment.

Yugi waved it off. "It's no big deal. I recognize you from math class. Kiara Jensen, right? Didn't you just move here?"

The redhead nodded, fiddling with the hem of the soft blanket. Surprise filled her to the brim, sending her heart racing. Yugi Moto, _the Yugi Moto, _knew her name. "I'm originally from California." Bright green rose slightly to meet plum, which sprouted another small blush.

"The home of Duel Monsters? Do you play?" The excitement in his voice radiated through his entire being, especially his bright eyes.

Kiara nodded shyly. "At first I just collected cards I thought were cool, but after I heard about you beating Seto Kaiba and being invited to Duelist Kingdom, I was inspired to try dueling myself. I'm not very good, though, and I've never entered a tournament." The embarrassment settled over her heart, squeezing it with a force she wished it didn't have. There she was, an amateur duelist, sitting in front of the _King of Games _of all people.

"I'm glad I could inspire you." Yugi grinned at her, a sudden light flashing through his eyes. "Can I see your deck?"

The redhead blinked, eyes frozen on Yugi's form. Her heart pounded a steadily increasing beat like a drum in a fast song. He wanted to see _her _deck? She couldn't even fathom why. "S-Sure. It's over there on top of my math book." She pointed in its general direction.

Yugi leapt off the chair and pounced on Kiara's school supplies. He sat on the floor with her deck in hand, flipping through her small array of cards. She had an average deck based on dark monsters including her favorite card. Kiara could tell when Yugi stumbled upon it due to the flare in his eyes.

"You have a Red Eyes Black Dragon?" Yugi's eyes danced, shining with a light of utter happiness.

Kiara nodded, bright green shifting to the side to stare at the floor. "It took me three years to collect enough cards to trade for it—and it ended up being half my deck. I spent another year rebuilding it."

"Amazing." Plum traveled back down to the card in his hand. "You could do amazing things with a card like that." Yugi fanned her cards out—or as many as he could with such small hands. "In fact, you have a pretty good deck here. With some practice and experience, you could become a great duelist."

Kiara flushed at the bright smile he offered her, though her returned one was rather weak. "Th-Thanks. I've been hoping for a chance to."

Yugi shuffled her deck then placed it back on top of her math book even as the back door swung open.

"Come on, you two. Can't you go any faster?" a distinctly female voice said. A tall blonde male—who Kiara recognized as Joey Wheeler from the Duelist Kingdom finals—stumbled into the room followed by an even taller brunette whose hair ended in one spike off the top of his head. Water dripped off the both of them as they kicked their shoes off and stepped up onto the carpet. The owner of the voice, a female brunette with deep blue eyes, stepped in after the two males, closing her pink umbrella. For some reason, both boys still wore their uniforms.

"Yugi, save us! We're wet and cold!" Joey and the other male clung to each other with pleading expressions.

Yugi burst into laughter as the other female removed her shoes, left her belongings near the door, and took a seat next to Kiara on the couch, though not without a raised eyebrow toward the redhead. He hopped off the floor and ran back up the stairs. The two boys stripped off their jackets and socks, throwing them into a pile in front of the fireplace, and sat on the floor, shivering.

The girl turned eyes to Kiara and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, aren't you the new girl?" At the redhead's nod, she smiled and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Anzu Mazaki."

A smile played over Kiara's lips. "Kiara Jensen. My pleasure."

"Joey Wheeler," the blonde said from the floor, hands vigorously rubbing his upper arms. "And this is my best bud, Tristan Taylor."

The now-named brunette offered her a small wave then copied Joey's actions. Yugi came bounding down the stairs with two more towels, which he tossed at his two male friends. They offered their thanks, working to dry themselves as fast as they could.

"So, you met my friends?" Yugi plopped down in the plush chair he'd been sitting in previously.

Kiara nodded in his direction, again fiddling with the hem of the blanket she sat wrapped in. She'd never been good with making friends before—minus the neighbor kids, but they were . . . different, nothing like these new teens.

"Did you know she duels?" Despite Kiara's protests, Yugi dove for her deck once more and proceeded to show it off to her new friends.

A deep blush overcame Kiara's face, ears, and upper neck once again, especially when mention of the Red Eyes came up again.

"Whoa! I thought mine was the only copy!" Joey fixed brown orbs on the card in Yugi's hand before four sets of eyes—plum, dark blue, brown, and hazel—immediately swung to take root on her, though not as intense as Joey's.

"It's my rarest card, and my favorite." Bright green flickered to the carpet near the television set where they stayed fixed. That card was her greatest achievement and she was very proud of it. It was special.

The small group oohed and ahhed over her deck for a few minutes more, then Joey's voice broke her reverie.

"You wanna duel?"

Kiara blinked owlishly at him. Her? Duel Joey? But he was a Duelist Kingdom finalist. She'd have no chance. . . . She found herself nodding anyway and joined them on the floor. Yugi hopped up beside Anzu and Tristan took one of the plush chairs. Joey pulled a duel mat out of one of the cupboards near the television set, taking a seat across from Kiara. The redhead's heart pounded in her chest as she shuffled her deck then drew five cards.

"Duel start!"

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Seto brushed past the two guards with briefcase in hand and a scowl on his face. As both the CEO of Kaiba Corp. and a high school attendee, he had plenty of things to do and none of them included visiting an ancient Egyptian exhibit at the request of some woman he'd never heard of before. He would listen to her pointless babble, grab the offered rare cards, and return to the mansion—prodigy though he may be, he had calculus homework to do.

A dark-skinned woman with black hair and blue eyes met him in the foyer of the museum. Her long cream dress reminded him of sand like the beaches Mokuba often wanted to visit. The CEO came to a stop a few feet from her.

"Seto Kaiba, welcome. Thank you for coming today. I am Ishizu Ishtar."

Seto rolled his eyes. He had a feeling this wouldn't be a short meeting. "Let's get this over with. I have business to attend to."

Ishizu dipped her head then led him to the other end of the large entranceway. "Did you know that Duel Monsters is based off an ancient Egyptian game? Pegasus discovered mentions of it on a trip to Egypt and was inspired."

Another eye roll escaped him, though he didn't let her see it, as she unlocked the door along the back wall and made her way down a set of stairs into a dark room. Seto followed her silently and moved to the center of the dimly lit space. Ishizu flipped the lights on, revealing a wall covered with three large stone tablets. The white around his cobalt irises widened, pupils fixed on the images.

The first tablet appeared to be more of a weathered rock than anything else. Its edges faded to nothingness though most of the erosion appeared at the bottom and up the right side. Carvings that represented Duel Monsters, the game Seto had grown to love, covered the flat surface that hadn't already been eaten away.

"The Egyptians sealed what we know as duel monsters into stone tablets in order to protect themselves from natural disasters, war, and suffering. Unfortunately, others released them to wage war against the Pharaoh."

Ishizu's words brought Seto from his reverie and he fixed her with a cold stare, but she didn't appear to be fazed. Instead, she waved her hand in the direction of the second tablet. "This one is the reason for you being here."

Seto moved to stand in front of it, eyes scouring its surface. This one fit his idea of a tablet with smoothed edges and an arc at the top. Egyptian hieroglyphs covered both sides, leaving the images of two men facing each other in the center, each with a carving of a duel monster above their heads. The top sported a glowing sun and underneath lay what appeared to be that strange puzzle necklace Yugi always wore with three carvings surrounding it.

The CEO struggled to keep his shock to himself, running his empty hand through chocolate locks. The figure on the right looked just like Yugi, spiky hair and all, while the one on the left looked just like . . . him. _Impossible. This must be some sort of trick. _But the two monsters, Dark Magician above the Yugi-lookalike and Blue Eyes White Dragon above his own, made it difficult to deny the similarities.

"This is meant to represent a duel between the Pharaoh and one of his High Priests."

Cobalt flickered to Ishizu, a flash of irritation feeding the coals in his heart. "And what does this have to do with anything?" Before Ishizu could respond, Seto plowed on. "Look, Ishtar. I don't have time for silly gambits like this. I have a company to run and it requires my attention. Let's hear about these rare cards so I can get back to work."

Ishizu frowned. "This is important to your future. You must know." A cold glare from Seto seemed to change her mind, though a conflicted look passed through her dark blue eyes. "Very well." She indicated the top of the tablet. "The three monsters around the Millennium Puzzle are the three Egyptian God cards, Obelisk the Great War God, Osiris the Heaven Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra. Pegasus created them, but due to their immense power, he entrusted them to me and I hid them away." Anger descended upon her features. "However, the Rare Hunters—a group of underground duelists who steal rare cards to sell on the black market—found their hiding place and stole two. I only have Obelisk in my possession."

Fire burned cobalt as a smirk slowly captured Seto's lips when Ishizu held the card out to him. He took it, eyes fixed on its magnificence. With a card that powerful, he surely would be able to regain the title that belonged to him. An idea took shape in his mind. These so-called Rare Hunters would definitely come looking for the third one. If he upped the stakes in his tournament, they would flock to him. The other two could soon be his.

Whirling around, Seto tucked the card safely in his purple duster and made his way toward the stairs. He didn't offer a goodbye and only ignored Ishizu's calls for him to return, that she hadn't finished yet. He had business to attend to, homework to do, and invitations to prepare. The Battle City Tournament would blow Duelist Kingdom out of the water. He would show them how great of a duelist he really was.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Kiara rose from the floor and stretched, glancing at the time on her phone. She winced. 5:30. Her mother probably wouldn't be happy when she got home.

After five duels—first she'd dueled Joey and won on a stroke of luck, played him again and lost, then tried her luck against Yugi and lost, and ended with a duel for Anzu and Tristan each, both of which she won—Tristan decided he was sick of watching and dragged out some of Yugi's board games. They'd played two rounds of Monopoly, one of Life, and then pulled out Yugi's PS2 to try out DDR, which Kiara discovered she sucked at. It was then that Joey had discovered he had to leave and Tristan chose to walk him home—they didn't offer the reason why and Kiara was too shy to ask. Anzu had left not long after, leaving Yugi and Kiara alone once again. The shorter teen offered to swap dueling stories until the rain stopped.

Said duelist had just taken the dirty dishes from their afternoon snack into the kitchen. During his absence, Kiara chose to check her clothes and found them to be dry as California in a drought. She quickly slipped them on before Yugi could see her indecent again. She folded both the blanket and the used towel, placing them in a pile on the couch. The redhead then knelt on the floor, returning her deck and school supplies to her school bag, straightening just as Yugi reentered the room.

"Thanks for allowing me to stay for the afternoon." Kiara offered him a small smile. "It was nice to meet you."

Yugi grinned at her before plopping into the closest plush chair. "It was great to meet you too. Why don't you come back tomorrow? We're planning on going to the arcade."

Bright green eyes lit up as color flooded her cheeks. "Really? Is that okay?"

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"

The innocent look on Yugi's face and his kind words sent Kiara's heart racing. Her? Friends with Yugi Moto? The thought made her want to faint, though she managed to whisper, "Y-Yes, we are." A bright smile adorned her lips as she pulled her shoes on then bid her new friend goodbye, exiting Yugi's home through the back door at his request.

Immediately, Kiara scrolled through her contacts for her home number once again, skipping the numbers of her new friends—earlier that afternoon, Anzu had brought up keeping in touch which ensued a swapping of numbers. This time, it only rang twice before someone answered.

"Goodness, Kiara. You take _forever. _Even _I'm _home before you are."

Kiara frowned at the sound of Kiona's teasing voice. "I was waiting for the rain to let up."

"Uh huh, sure. Well, you'd better hurry back. We have a special guest for dinner and it'll be ready soon."

A scowl replaced the frown. "Brought another boy home?" Kiara could almost hear the grin in Kiona's voice before a click sounded, ending their short conversation.

The redhead snapped her phone shut with a huff and hurried down the street. With company, her parents would be tenser than normal and Kiara wanted to avoid as much conflict as possible. She'd only gone for ten minutes when Kiara rounded the corner and nearly knocked over a short boy.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry," she yelped, helping the boy to right himself as color flooded her cheeks. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

Grey-blue eyes glittering with amusement looked out from under a mess of black bangs. He wasn't too much shorter than her—she didn't expect him to be any younger than twelve or thirteen. Long ebony locks and soft round cheeks gave him a feminine appearance and his undeveloped voice didn't help the slightest with it.

"It's alright, neither was I." He held out a hand. "Mokuba Kaiba."

The famous name and the image of the boy in front of her clicked together within her mind, forcing the blush a shade darker. Kiara took his hand with a shaky smile. "Kiara Jensen."

"Nice to meet you." Mokuba turned away from her and began walking down the street.

Kiara moved to walk beside him. "Why are you walking home alone? Doesn't your older brother come pick you up?"

Seto Kaiba, former King of Games and owner of Kaiba Corp., had been the run of the news lately with the rumor of new tournament to be held in Domino City. With all his money and fame, Kiara hadn't expected him to let his brother wander wherever—it was common knowledge, after all, that the young teen was often kidnapped for ransom purposes.

"He normally comes around in the limo but gave me a call after school and said he had other business to attend to, so I went down to Kaiba Corp. to hang out for a while and decided to walk home by myself." Mokuba grinned up at her. "I can take care of myself."

Kiara felt sick inside. Kaiba Corp. was downtown and Domino Middle School wasn't too far away from the high school. She knew the Kaiba Mansion resided in what had been dubbed snob hill near her own home. That was a long walk for a kid Mokuba's age.

"How about I walk with you?" Kiara offered with a small smile. "I'm pretty sure I live near you."

"Really?" The excited look in Mokuba's eyes brought a small warmth to Kiara's heart. She nodded.

As they walked toward snob hill, Mokuba asked her where she was from, how long she'd lived in Domino, whether or not she was a duelist, her deck type, her favorite card, her home life, and other related things. Kiara answered each question to the best of her ability, bringing great entertainment to the young teen.

About a block from the Kaiba Mansion, Mokuba pulled to a stop, a large frown on his face. "Wait, so your parents don't like Duel Monsters so you can't join any tournaments?"

Kiara nodded, a wave of sorrow crashing over her. She bit back tears, determined not to cry in front of Mokuba.

"So you need a job to raise your own money so you can pay for it yourself?"

Another nod accompanied a frown of her own. She wondered where he was going with his train of thought, curiosity piqued.

Mokuba grinned. "Seto's looking for a . . . guardian for me to keep an eye on me and pick me up from school—between school, work, and preparations for his special project, Seto just doesn't have the time to come get me anymore and he doesn't want me walking home by myself." He paused, a sheepish laugh erupting from his lips. "How 'bout I give him your number and tell him you're interested?"

Kiara blinked down at him, shocked beyond thought. "R-Really? You'd do that for me?"

Grey-blue sparkled with excitement as Mokuba nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. You'll just have to give me your number."

Kiara's smile matched the sun in brightness and intensity. She'd made five new friends and had come across a possible job opportunity. The outlook of maybe being able to join a tournament, make a name for herself, and become a better duelist couldn't have been brighter. The redhead pulled out a notebook and pen and wrote down her number for the young teen before handing the number to him.

"Thanks so much. I don't know what I could do to repay you."

Mokuba shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. It's the least I could do. I'll make sure you get an interview with Seto, so make sure you do your best. See ya 'round, Kiara." The young teen took off toward the mansion and, after opening the gate, disappeared up the driveway.

Kiara turned around with full intent to return to her own home. Even if her parents were uptight, she could deal with it. After all, it wasn't like Kiona was getting married. If she remembered correctly, Duke was her age anyway and her sister hadn't even graduated high school yet.

Of course, that didn't mean the dinner would be easy. In fact, it would probably be the tensest one since the night Kiona broke up with her third boyfriend. As long as Kiara kept thoughts of her friends and plans for the future in her mind, it wouldn't be that much of a pain.


	4. Persistent CEOs and Their Large Egos

**Lego: **Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry. I meant to have this chapter done weeks ago, but to be honest, I struggled with it. In fact, I still hate it. Really, I do. I can't promise you another chapter soon. I'm super busy and will be for a while. I'll do my best to work on another chapter, though, so please don't give up on me!

**Notes/Warnings: **This is the shortest chapter so far. I wanted it to be longer, but I decided to screw this chapter and finished it where I did.

**8/8/12 Edit:** Revisited Kel's bio and revamped quite a bit of her history. The change made to this chapter is found in the third scene.

_Chapter 4: Persistent CEOs and Their Large Egos_

Kel arched her back then twisted to the side to pop it not once, but four times. The game shop had recently received a package of games that needed restocking, which was what Kel had been doing all afternoon. It wasn't the best Friday she could've asked for, but as long as she didn't get stuck working overtime, she'd be fine.

Mr. Moto—Solomon, he'd repeatedly told her to call him Solomon—came in through the back door of the shop after his bathroom break and smiled in the blonde's direction. "Have you finished already? Good." He dug into one of the drawers behind the counter. "Would you mind taking the leftovers downstairs to do inventory?"

"Sure." She took the offered clipboard, retrieved the package, and proceeded to the back corner of the shop. An old wooden door met her there, and she opened it, disappearing down the dark staircase to the storage room below. At the bottom, Kel flicked on the single electrical light bulb, violet eyes sweeping the dingy room.

"This might take a while," the blonde mumbled, tucking stray hairs behind her ears, then set to work.

It never ceased to amaze her how many different games Solomon had on hand. Kel had been around for a very long time, and she knew each and every one, even if only in name. He had games dating back to the 1300s, an extraordinary feat for game collectors in the 21st century.

Almost as soon as she'd finished the somewhat entertaining, though mostly boring, task, unwanted, albeit familiar, voices sounded from overhead.

"Grandpa, we're home!"

Kel groaned. Just what she needed. She'd worked far longer than both intended and expected. She normally could avoid Yugi with ease since her shift ended an hour before he got home from school, but it seemed like luck wasn't with her today.

Mere seconds after Yugi and his geek squad entered the game shop, Seto ordered Roland to park the limo out front. Gripping his silver briefcase, he climbed out of the vehicle. "Wait here, Mokuba. I shouldn't be long." The brunette made his way toward the front door and ignored the jingle of the bell as he opened it, stepping inside.

At the back of the shop, Yugi and his friends (the usual geeks, though he had an unfamiliar redhead with him this time) jabbered to the elder Moto. Seto suppressed an eye roll. No matter how much respect he had accumulated for the young duelist, Yugi's enthusiastic spirit grated on his nerves just a little bit.

The brunette approached the group, boots clunking on the tile floor, and stopped a few feet away. "Yugi, we need to talk."

Silence immediately fell as six pairs of eyes turned to him. Despite the ominous atmosphere—mainly from the suspicious glares his friends sent him (minus the redhead), which Seto returned with a cold stare—Yugi had a bright smile on his face.

"About what?"

Seto brushed past them, lifting the heavy briefcase and setting it on the counter. Yugi and his friends circled around him, attention fixed on it. The clasps clicked loudly before the lid popped open. Kaiba Corp.'s new state-of-the-art Duel Disk—a portable dueling system—lay inside next to an envelope.

"Next week, I will be holding a Duel Monsters tournament. I'm only inviting the best duelists to compete." Seto held out the white envelope in Yugi's direction. Cobalt eyes dared the younger teen to refuse him. "All information concerning new rules and important dates are included in this. There will also be a card inside. No matter what happens, don't lose it."

Yugi took the invitation from him with a small frown, though Seto didn't miss the fire in his eyes.

"I have kept track of all duelists who have ever entered any tournament and keep their information in a database at my company." Cobalt swept over the geek squad. "Anyone I deem worthy enough will receive their invitations within the next couple of days." Yugi especially. More than anything else, Seto wanted to reclaim his title, and that meant beating his rival in a duel. He would make sure that happened no matter the cost.

Fiery plum met Seto's cold gaze. "I'll join your tournament on one condition. If and only if you invite Kiara." Yugi indicated the redhead beside him. "She's never had the opportunity to join any tournaments."

One chocolate-brown eyebrow went up. Ever since Mokuba had gotten home from school two days previous, he hadn't been able to shut up about the girl he'd met. Seeing the same girl, this Kiara Jensen, standing before him, Seto couldn't say he was that impressed. Long red hair that came down to her hips, a single bang hanging down between her eyes, brilliant bright green orbs, pale skin, and a splattering of freckles across her cheeks and nose made up her basic physical features, not to mention she was a little short—around Anzu's height—and just a little chubby. What Mokuba saw in the girl, he couldn't fathom. Besides, he had a tournament to prepare for and a company to run. He didn't have time for girls.

Seto's eyes flickered away from the redhead in time to watch a blonde female (though three large silver streaks sat amongst the golden strands) hand a clipboard to Mr. Moto and disappear out the door behind him. He paid her no mind, returning his attention to Yugi.

"Mokuba has already spoken to me about that. It's been taken care of." Seto closed the briefcase and slipped it off the counter, turning away from the geek squad. "Remember to look over the new rules and regulations. The Duel Disks are available at Kaiba Corp." With his head held high, he exited the game shop and slid into the limo. He gestured to Roland, who started the car, heading toward Kaiba Corp.

"So did you give the invitation to Yugi?"

Seto looked down at his younger brother, a small smile slowly taking his lips. "Of course, Mokuba."

A cool breeze danced through the trees and swooped down toward the concrete. It played in the grass, rustling any loose object that could be found. The chill it brought would inspire goose bumps on just about anyone, but the only effect it had on Kel was a simple tousling of her hair, which she'd left down.

More than anything else right then, Kel was grateful for Seto Kaiba's arrival at the game shop. Without him, she probably wouldn't have been able to leave quietly. A small smile overtook her lips. Because of the CEO's presence, Yugi couldn't have given her more than a glance, leaving her free to escape to the outside world. She hadn't gone too far away from Yugi's home—roughly ten minutes—when something else interrupted what had once been a peaceful day.

One of the downsides to being a natural fighter was getting caught in a lot of brawls. All the local gangs wanted to prove they were the best and could beat a lone female. They never gave her much trouble, but their annoyance caused a horrible headache. Due to her exposure to such idiotic people, Kel had grown used to recognizing their signs.

So it was to her chagrin that she stumbled upon one of the most obnoxious gangs Domino City had, beating a familiar white-haired boy to a pulp at the mouth of an alley. This gang in particular had roughly forty to fifty thugs, but travelling with so many people was too conspicuous. Instead, they went about their business in packs of five to six, easy pickings for a martial artist at Kel's skill level.

A resounding punch echoed off the dingy brick that made up the walls of the alley, followed closely by a small whimper. As Kel approached them, embers shimmering, she caught sight of a small pool of blood. A fire ignited and roared to life. From her position, she could see the discarded Millennium Ring at the back end of the alleyway. Violet burned as Kel reached for her dagger.

It took a hit to the back of the head with the hilt before the group noticed her presence. Chaos immediately ensued. The thug she'd hit fell to the ground, unconscious. Two other thugs took hold of Ryou and dragged him to the back wall of the alley where they stood guard over him; dull chocolate-brown eyes slowly slipped closed as the male went limp. A fourth thug collected the Millennium Ring and bolted for the exit as the final two pulled out long knives and dove for Kel.

With a small smirk, Kel parried both blades and kicked, planting her foot in one thug's face. She knocked the knives away and tossed her dagger toward the thug with the ring then ducked to avoid a punch. She laid two hard punches to both male's midsections then swept their feet out from under them. A single hit per thug left both unconscious and immediately afterward, Kel darted toward the mouth of the alleyway.

The thug who had run sat on the ground with Kel's dagger embedded in his thigh. He stared at the warm blood that seeped through his pants with wide and frightened eyes. The blonde retrieved the ring, slipping the cord over her head—it would be a lot easier to carry it that way—then gripped the dagger hilt. A pulsing presence filled the back of her mind, though she ignored it for the time being; she'd deal with Bakura in a moment.

"Wait! No, stop!" His eyes turned panicked as he scrambled away from her, jostling both the dagger and his injury.

Kel rolled her eyes. Idiot. "Stop moving, wimp."

The thug whimpered before letting out an anguished scream. Kel ripped her dagger out of his leg then mercifully slammed its hilt into his temple. His upper body hit the sidewalk with a loud thump. It was a good thing the street was abandoned—spectators always caused too much trouble in gang fights.

Twirling her dagger around her fingers, Kel slowly approached the alleyway once again. She could almost feel the fear emanating from the two thugs at the back. _Cowards. They should've left when they had the chance. _She closed tense fingers around the hilt, gently tapping into her core. The magic reacted with a soft pulse. It raced through her bloodstream then erupted from her waiting hands. The purple glow wrapped around both the dagger and her hands. It eagerly bounced at the chance to be used.

One thug crouched in front of Ryou, hesitance marring his features. The second stood boldly with both fists up. Whether he didn't fear her magic, didn't notice it, or thought he could beat her anyway, Kel didn't know, but his impudence fed her smirk.

She didn't have to say anything before the thug stomped forward and swung widely at her. Kel dropped to the ground, the reek of garbage filling her senses, then shot to one side. Her straightened legs tripped him and the thug lost his balance. The blonde leapt onto his back and one swift hit left him out cold.

Pounding footsteps alerted her to the retreating form of the only conscious thug. Kel considered letting him go, but a single glance in Ryou's direction changed her mind. The blonde flicked her left hand out and a stream of violet burst from her fingertips, curling quickly to resemble a rope. It shot toward the thug and wrapped around his ankle. He went down with a cry, clawing at the ground as Kel's magic pulled him back. The violet mass that somewhat resembled fire twisted around itself in what seemed like glee.

From the time of her infancy, Kel had been able to access a well of magic completely unknown to man. Osiris had informed her that it was a special gift from Obelisk on the day of her birth. He spoke of its core being bound to her soul and that it was rather taxing on her body and mind, but offered her great power. He also warned her to never enter the Shadow Realm and to avoid fighting against it directly—the dire collision would result in her death. Regardless, she had control over the magic, and it had yet to fail her. It often seemed as though it had some sort of sentience, mostly sensed through powerful emotions.

The magic flared a bright violet shade as it tugged and jerked on the panicked thug, slowly bringing him closer to its owner. A small wisp of dark, psychotic delight rose within her. She slid her dagger back into its sheath and, as soon as he was in range, Kel's hand darted out and grasped the collar of the thug's shirt. He coughed and choked as she jerked him upward before flipping him around to face her. Violet burned with rage.

"You have made a terrible mistake." Her hand twisted in his shirt.

The thug's face had gone pale and his wide eyes held a panic that Kel had seen many times. "No, wait, please. Please, don't hurt me."

Disgust rippled through her. "Don't you _dare _beg for mercy from me." Kel shoved him to the ground and watched as he tried to scramble backward away from her. Amongst his protests, she slowly approached him; each step gradually increased the want to mutilate this weak and pathetic thug.

But, rather than succumb to such emotions, Kel merely grabbed his face and threw him against the alley wall. Blood seeped from the broken nose he'd received from her grip as well as a small wound on the back of his head where he'd hit the brick. The thug slumped to the ground in unconsciousness and Kel turned away. Oh, how she hated such arrogant, idiotic gangs.

Her attention immediately rooted on Ryou and the increasing presence in the back of her mind. Kel dropped by his side and felt for a pulse. Although there, it beat weakly. The blonde gently shook Ryou to see if he would wake, but the teen's head simply rolled to the other side. She went to put her arms under him in order to carry him bridal style, but a sharp voice in her mind stopped her.

'Put the ring around his neck; I can walk him home.'

Kel raised an internal eyebrow at the spirit but did as asked. The same changes she'd noticed the other day took place on Ryou's form as Bakura blinked open chocolate-brown eyes. The lavender edges shone in the dim light before the spirit attempted to stand. As she expected, he failed and collapsed to his knees.

"Why won't this body work?" Bakura grumbled with obvious effort. Quite a few wounds bled, one along his abdomen more than the others.

The blonde moved forward and ignored the odd look Bakura gave her as she slung an arm under one of his and hauled him up. "You're not going to get anywhere in your condition."

Bakura grumbled under his breath but didn't fight her. With her help, the two managed to make it the rest of the way to Kel's three-room apartment. The spirit stared at what Kel had grown to call home as she let them in and gently helped him onto the bed in the only bedroom. She left him there in order to reactivate the wards around her door then moved to the small bathroom to retrieve a washcloth and bowl of water.

"What are you doing with that?" Bakura raised an eyebrow and backed away from her when she returned to the main room.

Kel rolled her eyes. "I'm going to dress your wounds, idiot. Just sit still. This won't take long."

Even though he sat still, chocolate brown never left her. Gently wetting the washcloth, Kel ignored him and patted each cut to rid it of the blood and grime they had collected in the alleyway. Every so often, Bakura would wince as she prodded one a little too hard, and each time, she'd quietly apologize.

After she completed the cleaning of his wounds, she put the water and cloths aside. The white-haired spirit stared at her as though she was insane.

"How are you to dress my wounds if you have nothing to dress them with?" Chocolate brown stared directly at her, one eyebrow raised.

"You'll see," Kel said softly. She didn't know why she bothered even answering him, but ignored it for the time being. Instead, she wrapped tan hands around his right forearm and focused. A tingling sensation spread from her shoulders to her hands as a silver glow engulfed them. The surprised gasp from Bakura didn't faze Kel in the slightest, though his attempted jerk grated on her nerves.

"What are you doing to me?"

Kel glanced up to meet furious chocolate brown. She rolled her own vibrant violet and released his arm. Without saying anything, she grabbed hold of his left and repeated the process even as he stared incredulously at his healed appendage. No wounds marked the pale surface, leaving it smooth and unharmed. Bakura sputtered indignantly, eyes about as wide as they would go, even as Kel freed his left arm and placed both hands on his chest. With a burst of energy, the silver glow surrounded his midsection, healing it all at once.

Upon finishing, Kel sat back and let the spirit examine himself. Although bloodstains marked his clothing, his skin held no blemishes from his earlier wounds. He glanced between Ryou's body and Kel, chocolate brown rooted in confusion, awe, and wonder. It didn't last too long, though, and soon the spirit had folded his arms, and his eyes bore into Kel's. She stared back evenly, unfazed by his supposed tough appearance.

"What do you hope to gain by this?" Chocolate brown narrowed as a sneer captured his lips.

"Nothing."

The two maintained their staring contest. Kel refrained from rolling her eyes, squashing the urge. She had a pretty good guess as to what his next question would be.

"Then why did you do it in the first place?"

Kel didn't answer for several minutes, leaving Bakura in suspicious irritation. She honestly didn't know. She wanted to say that it was because she hated gangs picking on those weaker than themselves, just bullies in general, but although true, that wasn't quite the full answer she wanted. There was something more.

"Ryou is a kind boy," she said finally, not quite sure where the words came from. "He doesn't deserve to get wrapped up in a mess like that. Domino's gangs are not pleasant."

Bakura looked her up and down. "You appear to do just fine."

A single golden eyebrow lifted. "I'm a trained martial artist. Street thugs are no match for my skills." She paused, just then, and took a moment to think. Here she was, civilly conversing with an ancient spirit set on revenge in the middle of her protected apartment. And yet, she didn't care. She wanted nothing to do with Yugi's destiny, especially since Shadi and Ishizu seemed so bent on getting her involved. If she wanted to befriend Ryou and Bakura, the latter a supposed enemy of Yugi's, then she would.

Kel stood from the bed and moved to the door. "You should get Ryou home and let him rest." She twisted the knob and pulled, holding the hard wood ajar for him. "You may tell him what happened if you wish."

Bakura scoffed as he nearly leapt up and briskly walked toward the opening, a scowl marring his features. "I'll only thank you for this because I need my host's body in good shape. Don't think we're any sort of goody-goody friends now." He stalked his way out, heading down the hall.

"Of course not." Violet followed him to the end of the corridor and down the stairs. With a shake of her head, she slowly closed the door to her apartment.


	5. The Irritations of Memories Long Gone

**Lego: **Goodness, how long has it been since my last update? 11 months you say? READERS! Please forgive this authoress's insolence in not writing this story for almost a solid year! That is the utmost cruelty! I will work hard to get as many chapters out as I can before the school year starts again as payment, and I'll do better to work on my story during the school year months so this does not happen again! I suffered a terrible writing block. If you have dropped this story, I sincerely apologize (though if you've dropped it, you won't see this). If you're still here, THANK YOU! I'M SO SORRY! I hope it will never happen again!

**Notes/Warnings: **A little bit of a fluffy/not-much-happens chapter, at least as far as action. Important things happen, however, so it's a chapter that must exist for plot purposes. The next chapter will have action, I promise.

_Chapter 5: The Irritations of Memories Long Gone_

Sunlight. It brought light to dark places and warmth to stave off the chill. It resembled happiness and joy, and when it set, love danced through the air. Normally, nothing could compare to sunlight.

But Yugi hated sunlight. He groaned as it woke him from a nice deep sleep. Even his attempts to cover his face with his bedding proved futile. It didn't matter anymore anyway; he was awake whether he wanted to be or not.

The teen sat up slowly and ran a hand through messy tri-colored hair as he reached for the puzzle with the other. He slipped it over his neck and tiredly greeted Yami, whose presence manifested in the back of Yugi's mind. Why had his grandfather insisted upon putting a skylight in Yugi's room? He couldn't remember, but it irritated his groggy mind.

Yami chuckled and fazed out of the puzzle, standing beside the bed in spirit form. "Good morning. Are you well rested?"

Yugi made a face at him then let out a burst of tired laughter. Yami's outfit mirrored Yugi's own, which constituted light blue pajamas covered in small Kuribohs.

At the sound, the spirit flushed bright red and turned his head to the side. "Oh, shut up."

Still snickering, Yugi stumbled over to his closet. He needed to find something to wear that wouldn't embarrass either them or Anzu (that threw out the pile of clothes on the floor). _This is almost a date. _He pursed his lips. _We'd best go with something fresh and clean, but what else? _He looked around on the options hung up. It would be casual, so no need for a suit (not that he really owned one). But surely not too punk like he normally went. A happy medium, maybe?

"What are you doing?" Yami watched him curiously with wide, innocent eyes.

Yugi waved him off, flipping through the hangers. "Looking for something to wear."

He saw the spirit frown from the corner of his eye. "Don't you normally choose from the pile?"

"Today's special." Yugi grinned at his companion from over his shoulder but didn't further elaborate.

Yami looked as though he wanted to ask more but he refrained. The teen turned his attention back to the fabric beneath his fingers. His personality would designate something punk and sleeveless, which he desperately wanted to keep for the day; however, instead of pointed shoes, black tops, and leather pants, he wanted to do something a little different.

Yugi tugged down a dark purple, sleeveless shirt from its hanger and tossed it over his shoulder; it landed on the bed in a heap. A pair of dark blue jeans followed it.

"And now shoes," Yugi mumbled, searching the floor. He flung various objects out of the way as he rejected them. Converse? Tennis? Not his shoes from middle school for sure. Soon he had a ring of shoes around him, but he was completely at a loss.

"Yugi, I'm not sure I understand . . ." Yami trailed off at the sudden gleam in Yugi's eyes.

"Aha!" The teen dove into the bottom of his closet. He posed with one hand in the air, fist enclosed about the laces of a sleek pair of tennis he'd bought on a whim a few months previous. Anzu would be pleased. His hands shook with excitement as he struggled out of his pajamas and into the chosen outfit.

Yami sighed then fazed back into the puzzle—it was easier for the change to take place on his companion if the spirit was deep inside the item. He reappeared seconds later as a mirror image of Yugi.

"Do you like it?" Yugi watched with a hesitant grin as Yami looked down at himself with wide eyes.

"It is . . . interesting. But I do like it." Yami smiled.

Yugi nodded slowly, grin overshadowed slightly by a thoughtful reflection in his eyes. "I think we need something . . . metal though."

Yami glanced down at the twin puzzles around their necks and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, a little more than that."

Yugi approached the desk next to his bed and rummaged through the second drawer. Bracelets of all materials, sizes, and colors clinked and brushed against each other until the teen pulled out a set with a triumphant, "Ha!" He held up a trio of silver bracelets of three different sizes. "What do you think of these?"

A strange expression crossed Yami's face. "Um, well, they look nice."

Yugi could hear the unspoken dot-dot-dot in his friend's voice but ignored it in favor of slipping the metal onto his right wrist. He glanced at himself in the mirror and couldn't help a silly grin. Anzu would love it. He was sure of it.

"Great! Then let's go!" Yugi grabbed his deck holster and strapped it to the top of his pants then headed out the door of his room. He darted down the stairs and around the corner into the back of the game shop. What he saw there stopped him faster than hamburgers on a bright day.

"Kel!" he managed to blurt, plum eyes fixated on her hard-working form.

Said blonde female looked up from her work and pegged him with a cold stare. "Good morning, Yugi."

He winced slightly but didn't let that deter him—he wasn't Yugi Moto the Friendship Magnet for nothing. "I just wanted to let you know that I consider you a friend. I hope you can someday see me that way too." He grinned at her despite the small frown on her lips. "You're always welcome to visit or stay with us—Grandpa and I don't get many visitors anymore, not since my parents died."

"We are not friends, therefore I have no need to spend time in your home. Work is as much as I'll tolerate." Kel turned away from him, which coaxed a frown past Yugi's smile.

'She's not very kind.' Yami's voice reverberated through his mind, more than a hint of annoyance within it.

Yugi ignored him and pressed onward. He took a step forward as he spoke. "Also, um, would you at least consider having dinner with me and Grandpa tomorrow night?"

Kel gave him a look over her shoulder that clearly said, _Stop talking to me and maybe I won't bite your head off, _even as her lips emitted, "I'll consider it." She turned away from him again and disappeared down one of the aisles of the shop.

His energy renewed and invigorated, Yugi skipped out of the game shop. He had a chance, he knew it. He could worm his way into her heart and convince Kel that she didn't need to isolate herself. The teen couldn't exactly pinpoint why that felt so important to him, but he knew he would act on it regardless.

Before he knew it, Yugi had reached the Domino Train Station where Anzu waited patiently. He stopped behind a pillar, staring at her with a contented smile on his face. A small frown tried to steal away his happy expression—he almost wished it was he who was going on a date with her, not Yami. Pale pink tinted his cheeks and he shook his head. _No time for that now._

'Are you ready, Yami?' he mentally asked instead.

'Ready for what?'

Yugi concentrated and felt his spirit leaving his body. The switch between them was almost instantaneous. Before he knew it, he stood in his soul room—light blue walls; a simple bed with a blue bedspread covered in clouds; a warm and soft carpet; hundreds of toys and games littering the floor; and many pictures on shelves that depicted those important to Yugi or particularly pleasant memories. He closed his eyes and felt himself looking through Yami's. That position also brought along the hearing of garbled sounds that were desperately trying to become words as they left Yami's mouth.

"Yugi!" the spirit finally shouted, out loud rather than mentally. "What is this?"

The teen chuckled. Even though he spoke aloud, Yami would hear it within his mind. "I've arranged for you to spend the day with Anzu"—_Not that she knows that, _he added silently—"so don't disappoint her!"

Yugi opened his eyes. No longer would he hear anything spoken, only those communicated through their mind link. But now that he'd given his body over for the day, it was time to find something to entertain him. Plum swept the room and came to stop on a deck of cards nearly hidden at the back of the room. He grinned.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

The image stared back at her, lips quirked down slightly in a small frown. Kiara sighed in frustration. She'd tried on all the dresses and skirt/blouse combinations she had. She'd wanted to go with the professional look of the pencil skirt, but it made her butt stick out too much.

She currently wore the last option she owned—a ruffled white blouse that successfully hid the size of her C-cup breasts and a plaited navy blue skirt that just barely passed her knees. She twirled back and forth to catch glimpses of the back. It wasn't the best and didn't completely flatter her chubby form, but it was passable, she supposed. A pair of black flats with bows went onto her feet to complete the outfit—she had a limited array of shoes so the decision wasn't hard to make.

The last thing she needed to address before she left was her hair. The only really professional way she knew to do with hair of her length (whatever possessed Kiara to grow it down to her hips should be cursed) was a bun. While she could do a few things with her own hair, the more complicated designs were better left to someone who could fully see what they were doing, like Kiona, who enjoyed doing hair anyway.

"Kiona!" Kiara darted out of her room with a small black purse in hand. She found her elder sister lounging on the couch in the living room. "Help me with my hair, please!"

Kiona's ice-blue eyes bore into her own bright green orbs, her own ebony locks pulled into a high ponytail—though not as long as Kiara's, they required just as much attention. "What makes you think I'd help you?"

Kiara tried not to let her anger seep into her expression as she glanced at the time on her phone. She couldn't hide her wince. "I only have twenty minutes before I need to be to my interview and it's a ten minute walk."

Kiona rolled her eyes. "Alright, come on."

Kiara led the way up the stairs to the second-floor bathroom. Kiona immediately plugged in her cooling curling iron (she'd done their mother's hair not too long before) and took a brush to Kiara's hair.

Ten minutes later, Kiara thanked Kiona sincerely for the help she provided then escaped the house so she would make it to the interview on time. Kiona had curled her hair into tight ringlets then pulled the majority of it into a high ponytail. The two sections nearest Kiara's face hung down in front of shoulders and her mini bang had been twisted slightly so it wouldn't fall into her eyes. It looked surprisingly good, especially because it appeared shorter.

Kiara had never done well with physical activity of any sort (which was part of the reason she'd accumulated as much extra body fat as she had). That unfortunate side-effect of her weak body kept her from running too incredibly fast, but she reached the Kaiba Mansion with two minutes to spare (it hadn't taken too long to get the guard on the other side of the intercom to let her in through the gate). She spent those two minutes catching her breath and struggling as her leg muscles protested to the sudden abuse.

A maid entered the foyer from the top of the grand staircase in front of Kiara and bid the redhead to join her. As lady-like as possible, Kiara did as asked. She followed the maid down dozens of hallways and soon lost track of her own position, especially since she lacked a mental map. If she got the job, it would be essential to memorize the layout of the mansion, if only for the sake of her sanity. Regardless, she couldn't deny that she was impressed with Kaiba's extensive collection of tapestries and paintings mounted on the corridor walls.

They soon reached the door to Kaiba's stay-at-home office. The maid bowed and disappeared down the hall. Kiara, unsure exactly what to do, simply knocked on the office door.

"Come in," Kaiba's voice bade her from inside.

She gently opened the door and entered the room. It was sparsely decorated with a single window that looked down on the backyard, a single bookcase filled to the brim, and the desk in the middle of the room. Kaiba sat on one side of it, a laptop open and running in front of him, and another chair waited for her opposite him. Kiara waited for a signal before taking her place on it.

Kaiba looked up from his laptop, fingers quieting for the first time since she'd entered the room, and fixed her with a cold stare. "Mokuba tells me you're interested in his babysitting job."

Kiara nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Tell me, what do you know about Kaiba Corp.?"

After his initial question, the two of them got into a rhythm of question, answer, question, answer. Kiara did her best to answer without too much hesitation and with as much honesty as she felt necessarily—for instance, Kaiba didn't need to know that she found him extremely intimidating. The interview seemed to stretch on for hours, but at the end, Kiara was surprised to note that it had only been twenty minutes since her arrival.

Kiara inclined her head in Kaiba's direction. "Thank you for your consideration." Although she really wanted to high-tail it out of there—despite his typical businessman's attitude, one could only stand so much of Seto Kaiba at one time—Kiara forced herself to wait until she was dismissed.

To her surprise, Kaiba held out a folder. "This has all of the information you'll need to know. Your basic requirements are to pick Mokuba up from school and to babysit upon call. I have left my office number and my cell number for work contact and emergencies. You will begin work as soon as possible."

Kiara's eyes widened and her jaw dropped a little. She sat stunned for a moment. Had he really decided that fast? Surely there were people more capable than her to look after Mokuba. Kaiba raised an eyebrow, which brought a small blush of embarrassment to her cheeks. She reached out and accepted the offered folder.

"I can begin work immediately," she said. A smile stole her lips, morphing into a grin.

Kaiba nodded. "Keep your cell phone charged and always with you. You are free to go, Ms. Jensen."

Kiara stood and bowed. "No, thank _you, _Mr. Kaiba."

A maid led her from Kaiba's office to the front doors of the mansion. She let herself out with a wave of farewell to all the nearby servants. As soon as she made her way down the driveway and out the gate, Kiara jumped for joy with a loud squeal. Kaiba had given her a job, and promised her an invitation to the Battle City Tournament. The future couldn't have looked brighter.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Yami stared up at the Domino Museum. Ever since Yugi had left him alone with Anzu, they'd been all over Domino City. He'd never realized all the things one could do in a city that large, and he never thought he'd have a chance to roam and actually _have fun. _Anzu had given him a glimpse of Yugi's world. It completely fascinated him.

But then, Anzu had suggested the museum. It was to be their final adventure for the day.

Now that he was here, he wasn't sure he wanted to go in. Something about Egypt had always called out to him, almost like a tugging in his heart. He knew it was important, and he secretly wondered if it held the secrets to his past and who he truly was.

"This is it."

Yami glanced at Anzu. The brunette had a half-smile on her face, deep blue orbs dancing with excitement.

"Are you ready?"

He pursed his lips. Was he? "I am not sure. Part of me doesn't want to know the truth. I suppose I am afraid of what I might discover." The spirit took a deep breath. "But I shall go in regardless."

The two started up the stairs and entered the museum through double glass doors. A few scattered families dotted the lobby, but they were sparse. Yami looked around for the sign that would lead them to the ancient Egyptian exhibit while Anzu scoured the brochure she'd gotten for information. His violet orbs lighted on a sign above an open doorway near the back of the lobby.

"I found it," he mentioned to Anzu before leading her toward it. Beyond it lay a dimly lit staircase. They went down it and into a massive room at the bottom. As soon as they stepped onto the gray tile, the automatic lights flickered on to reveal three large tablets mounted on the wall and a plethora of other ancient objects scattered about on pedestals. For some reason, there were no other people viewing the exhibit.

"Wow." Anzu's eyes had widened and she stared with an open mouth.

Yami felt similar. Violet orbs swept over the first tablet. Its condition across the bottom and right side had degraded significantly enough that Yami couldn't make out anything that was once there. The rest of the tablet, however, contained a large amount of carvings that resembled Duel Monsters.

Trying to keep a blank expression—though his awe didn't allow for that to be too possible—the spirit moved his eyes to the second tablet. It seemed in near perfect condition, with little weathering and erosion on its surface. Hieroglyphs covered much of its available space, but there remained enough room in the center for the images of two men to face each other, as though in battle. Yami would have studied it further if not for the man on the right.

"It looks just like you!" Anzu's gasped proclamation echoed in the strangely empty room.

Something clicked in Yami's mind, almost like a distant memory. "That is who I am," he found himself saying. "The spirit of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh has resided in the Millennium Puzzle for millennia." _I am a Pharaoh. _He almost couldn't believe it, but the thought resonated with his soul and he knew it to be true.

Yami glanced at Anzu just as she opened her mouth to respond, but another voice from behind them cut her off.

"My Pharaoh. It pleases me to see you have arrived. I apologize to have kept you waiting."

Yami whirled around to confront the newcomer, a black-haired woman with surprisingly sharp blue eyes and a cream dress he figured to be of Egyptian make.

"Who are you?" he demanded with more authority than he thought possible. "How do you know who I am?"

The woman bowed, fingering a golden object at her throat—he recognized it as the Millennium Necklace when she straightened. "My name is Ishizu Ishtar. My family has been protecting the Pharaoh's memory for the last 3000 years."

"What is your purpose in coming here today?" Yami struggled not to glare, though his frown remained etched into his expression. After his experiences with the evil spirit residing in Bakura and Pegasus with his misuse of the Millennium Eye, he knew better than to immediately trust anyone in possession of an item.

"I have come to warn you." A grave expression shadowed Ishizu's face. "It is essential for you to regain your memory. To do so, you must gather the seven Millennium items."

Yami's eyes narrowed. He didn't like her tone. "What makes you think I would believe you?"

"Is my Millennium Necklace not proof enough?" Ishizu touched the golden item once more. "I promise you, I am only here to help you. I am not your enemy." She paused, a frown down-turning pink lips. "However, there is a new Millennium item holder who seeks to destroy you. He will search for you using Seto Kaiba's new Duel Monsters tournament. In order for you to locate your missing memories, it is vital that you compete in this tournament."

Yami and Anzu directed a shared look of shock at Ishizu. A headache slowly dug its way into the spirit's mind. In addition to putting up with Seto's taunts about his imminent defeat in the upcoming tournament and dealing with the fact that he had no memories, he had to gather seven Millennium items to reveal said memories while being chased around by another power-wielding madman who wanted revenge on him for some reason or another. Peace in the afterlife sounded very nice to him at that moment.

Ishizu seemed to sense Yami's mood and indicated for him to focus his attention on the final tablet on the wall. "While you have many friends to assist you on this journey, there is another."

The tablet contained a section of Egyptian hieroglyphs at the bottom—what looked to Yami like some sort of song—with a large carving of a beautiful woman staring off to the side above it.

"My Pharaoh, your daughter will come to your aid."

Yami froze. "My . . . daughter?"

His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he promptly fainted.


	6. Troubles from an Intoxicated Father

**Lego: **My apologies once more, dear readers. It has been four months since my last update. Please forgive me for my insolence. Work was killer during the time of my last update and then school started. It's kept my attention pretty solidly. I'm pleased to note, however, that in the midst of midterms for me, I was able to put this together. I hope you enjoy!

**Notes/Warnings: **Not too much canon action, but still some action here. Canon plot will move forward a little bit in the next chapter.

_Chapter 6: Troubles from an Intoxicated Father_

Joey stretched with a yawn. As he had promised, Kaiba's invitations had arrived at their required destinations. Although surprised to have gotten one, Joey couldn't deny the thrill at being able to attend another tournament, especially Kaiba's. He'd spent the afternoon reading through the list of new rules—40 cards in a deck, 4000 starting lifepoints, the card ante rule that required the loser to cough up his rarest card in addition to the special cards used to reveal the location of the finals, among others.

This tournament would be a definite challenge, but he would conquer, just like he did at Duelist Kingdom. Joey grinned like the dork he was, though it faltered slightly when his stomach gave a hungry growl. Time to find food.

The blonde teen opened the door to his room and stuck his head out. Nothing stirred, though Joey couldn't help but notice the beer bottles scattered all over the floor—because he'd been with Yugi so often lately, he hadn't taken the time to clean up his father's mess. He stepped around them without disturbing any as he made his way toward the kitchen. He'd get to those later.

Joey rummaged through his cupboards but only found junk food and moldy bread. He frowned. He really _had _been spending a lot of time with Yugi recently—he hadn't gone shopping for a couple weeks and now there was nothing to eat.

"Great."

His mild irritation was interrupted by the opening of the front door.

"Boy, get over here." His father's drunken slur sounded even more muddled than usual.

Hesitantly, Joey turned to face his father and took a couple steps forward. The man held a beer bottle in one hand as the other gripped the doorknob. A barely suppressed growl spurred the blonde to move until he stood beside his father.

"Don't just stand there, boy." His father clipped him hard behind the ear with the edge of his palm, a hit Joey hadn't been expecting.

Just before Joey opened his mouth to express his confusion, brown irises caught sight of the cases of beer behind the other male. Ignoring the way his newfound injury smarted, he leaned down to haul one up and made his way back into the apartment. His father entered after him and went to peruse the kitchen. Joey went back out to fetch the other set of beer. He'd only just made it to the fridge when his father let out an awful growl.

"Boy, where is all the food?" For being drunk, the man's voice was terribly calm.

Joey quickly contemplated his options as he placed the beer next to its companion inside the fridge. He could either answer his father honestly and risk his rage, or he could stay silent and risk his rage. Neither option sounded good. "I haven't had a chance to go shoppin' lately."

His father swore terribly and threw the empty beer bottle at him. Joey's eyes widened as he tried to dodge, but it slammed into the left side of his face. Pain burst across his skin and temporarily disoriented him.

"You insolent brat!" His father shouted, throwing a punch Joey's way. "You're so irresponsible! I go out and work hard all day, and all you do is sit around here!"

Too late he noticed a giant fist heading for him. One went to his gut, and as he doubled over in pain, a second fist caught him in an uppercut to the face.

Adrenaline rushed through his system. It felt like those days back in Ushio's gang. He was cornered. There was only one way out. Joey stumbled backward while straightening then blocked a side swing and punched forward.

Time slowed. His father's head jerked backward. The realization set in. _Get out! _his mind screamed. Rage filled the other man's eyes.

His father swore. "I'll kill you!"

_Get out! _it screamed again. Joey shakily dodged to the right as his father came charging forward then stumbled into a run. He scrambled through the still-open apartment door and thundered down the stairs. He could hear his father releasing his wrath behind him. He pushed himself harder. Had to get away. Couldn't get caught. Not this time. _Idiot. You fought back. He'll kill you now._

Joey burst out of the apartment complex, pumping his legs as hard as he could. _Gotta find some place to hide. Gotta get away._

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Voices pierced the inky blackness. They called him back to reality, pulled him from his temporary sleep. He struggled to pass through, to return. Lights flashed around him, albeit blurred and unrecognizable. Then it cleared, came into focus.

Yami distinctly heard Anzu's concerned tone as she said, "Spirit? Are you alright?"

He groaned, sat up, stared at the brunette in front of him, and promptly ignored Ishizu's towering figure on his other side. The pharaoh attempted a small smile. "I'm fine. I just—" His words cut off as his eyes widened. It all came rushing back. The tablets. His identity. His mission. The tournament. A new evil. His _daughter._

Yami coughed. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Although the worry didn't leave Anzu's deep blue eyes, she offered him a hand and helped him up. The spirit immediately turned to Ishizu, violet eyes hard and cold.

"You've given me much to think about," he said slowly, then inclined his head only slightly. "I bid you farewell."

Ishizu nodded, then lowered her eyes toward the floor. "Until we meet again, my Pharaoh." She backed up until she reached the stairs then disappeared from sight.

Yami and Anzu shared a look. He spoke first.

"I do not like that woman."

Anzu nodded her agreement. "I think we should get out of here as quickly as possible."

As they headed up the stairs and back out into the museum lobby, Yami mulled over what Ishizu had told them. The idea of another foe to defeat added another layer of burden to his shoulders. How he wished to rest. But it was his duty to protect the world—or so he'd gathered from his experiences thus far—and he could not give up.

His having a daughter . . . Yami shivered. In all the time he'd been with Yugi, the spirit had never thought to question his age; ever since he had awoken from his sleeping state inside the puzzle, he'd taken on the majority of Yugi's image, enough that when he took over Yugi's body, no one really noticed the difference.

Yami could never have imagined that he had been a father in his past life. That thought brought along many questions he had no answers to—who was his wife, what had she been like, when had she died, who was his daughter, how could she still be alive, where was she now, was she his only child, had he had more? The only thing he knew for sure was that his daughter was alive, somewhere, and she was to assist him in the new challenge he faced. He had to find her.

Anzu broke him from his reverie as she held the museum door open for him and asked, "Lost in thought?"

Yami shrugged but went through, catching the second door for her with a fleeting smile. "There's a lot for me to think about."

The brunette winced. "Ah, yeah. That was kinda dumped on you, wasn't it? I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

They paused at the top of the staircase. Yami frowned, then ran a hand through his hair. "My entire past is a dark void. There are no answers. Even learning of my origins as an Egyptian Pharaoh, I have more questions than answers." He glanced at her with a sad smile. "I suppose the most important thing is finding the identity of my daughter."

Anzu nodded, but her deep blue eyes were fixed on something past him. Yami turned to find a lone figure coming toward them on the street below. He squinted just as they walked through a dying patch of sunlight; his violet orbs caught sight of silver streaks among a field of gold.

Yami's heart pounded incessantly in his chest. Next to his missing memory, Kel was the greatest mystery in his life. Every time he saw her, his soul pulsed with a deep energy. The urge to speak with her on that matter suddenly leapt through his being and lodged itself in his brain.

When she got close enough, Kel seemed to hear Anzu's calls, for she looked up to make eye contact with the brunette. Her face was passive and blank, though from the distance, Yami couldn't tell if her eyes were cold or not—he could imagine they were, cold and hard as an amethyst.

Then they met his and he could tell in that moment that Kel was going to bolt; her shoulders tensed, her face went deathly pale. She turned away from them and burst into a fast run. Yami's heart jumped as he gently brushed Anzu's shoulder, offered her a quick, but sincere, apology, and took off after the blonde. It wasn't the most gentlemanly thing he could have done, but he _knew _Kel was important. He needed to speak with her, and he couldn't accomplish that with her running all over the place.

It surprised Yami how much it hurt in his attempts to keep up with her. While his legs burned and his breath came short, Kel just kept going. It seemed as though the spent energy didn't affect her at all. What she did in her spare time to build up that kind of stamina, he couldn't fathom a guess. He used all of his brainpower to concentrate on her—he had no time to keep track of the surroundings because if he even glanced in another direction, he'd lose sight of her.

Kel rounded a corner and disappeared, but as soon as Yami had done the same, he stumbled to a stop. She stood in the center of the street directly in front of the game shop. The pharaoh took a moment to regain his breath as Kel looked around. Before he could say anything, she turned to look at him, a fire burning in her amethyst orbs—eyes so like his own, it scared him. She backed up a few steps but a yelp from further down the street caught both of their attentions.

Joey burst out of a side street and headed straight for them. Yami caught sight of his panicked expression and a moment later, knew the reason why. An older male who looked way too much like Joey to be coincidence followed Yugi's best friend. He shouted obscenities and threatened the blonde teen with what looked like a beer bottle.

The blonde male skidded past them then pulled to a stop. Over his shoulder, he shouted, "Run!"

Yami's legs immediately responded and he stumbled as he attempted to follow Joey, but he stopped once more when he caught sight of Kel. She had placed herself in the path of the oncoming man and stood firm.

"I wouldn't take another step if I were you."

Kel's cold tone sent chills down Yami's spine and even caused the man to falter. He growled, however, and threw the beer bottle as hard as he could. Yami tensed, ready to warn her of the flying trajectory, but she merely snatched it out of midair and tossed it to the pavement where it shattered harmlessly.

The other male—presumably Joey's father—increased his speed and wildly threw a punch at Kel. She retaliated by ducking it then slamming her shoulder into his chest. He grunted as he stumbled while Kel slid easily out from under him.

Yami noticed Joey's look of shock out of the corner of his eye but didn't have time to comment on it—Joey's father whirled around with a crazed shout and pounced in Kel's direction. She darted out of the way and ended up behind him. Without a beat of hesitation, she kicked him squarely in the kidneys. The man let out a wail of absolute agony as he collapsed to his knees.

Kel warily backed away from him a couple of steps even as he swore at her and cursed her in ways that made Yami blush. The female took it without batting an eye. Yami couldn't help but wonder if she was used to being sworn at. A hoarse groan erupted from the man's lips just as he leapt up with the broken neck of the discarded beer bottle in hand and swung down at Kel.

Joey yelled. Yami yelped. Kel simply deflected the glass but it still tore her shirt. Yami's heart pounded incessantly in his chest as the two wrestled, eyes roaming her for blood. He nearly had a heart attack at the red splayed on her stomach; it took him a moment to realize that it was tattoo ink and not blood.

In his thoughtless stupor, Yami nearly missed the man grabbing hold of Kel's shirt as she shoved away from him. The force of her sudden movement and his hard grip caused the tear to widen until the entire bottom of her shirt had been pulled off. The spirit jumped with the sound and called out. Kel ignored him, bouncing out of the way of the broken bottle once more and putting her back to Yami and Joey.

Yami stared at the red Egyptian dragon tattooed on Kel's back. It seemed significant—the hole his lack of memory left behind almost burned with familiarity—but he couldn't place it. Kel moved again, so Yami merely blinked and stored the information and image away for later when he wasn't focused on hoping Kel wouldn't die in front of his eyes.

She ducked around another wild swing with the bottle and managed to get behind the man again. Before he could turn, however, Kel had leapt onto his back and held an arm around his neck. One arm tried to pry her off while the other flailed wildly. Yami's heart wanted to burst from his chest—what if he hit her with that blade? Kel didn't seem fazed at all, not even like she was struggling with him, and in moments, the man collapsed.

Yami stood in another stupor as he stared at the still-breathing-but-fully-unconscious man on the ground. Joey's shout of, "Kel, wait!" jerked him from the reverie in time to see Kel dart around a corner and out of view. He almost went after her, then stopped himself. Unconscious man who tried to kill Kel and would have done the same to Joey had she not been there—someone should call the police.

"Mr. Moto!" Yami scrambled to get around to the back door of the game shop then threw the door open and clambered up the stairs. Yugi's grandfather stumbled out of his room just as Yami reached the hallway.

"Yugi? What's wrong?" Purple eyes conveyed the fatigue and grogginess that came from being woken from sleep.

Yami didn't hesitate. "Call 911."

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

The glass doors shuddered in her wake. Fire burned her from the inside out and she felt its incredible power every step she took. By the time she'd gotten to Ishizu's office, her body felt like an inferno that could not be repressed.

Ishizu ignored the brand new hole in her wall from the force of Kel's shove against the door. "My princess, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Don't play games with me," Kel said, her voice dangerously low. "You are going to tell me right now what in Ra's name is going on. I want to hear it all. What are these so-called 'dire circumstances', why am I here, how is it possible that my father is _still alive, _and _why haven't I already been told?"_ Her voice shook with rage. The wood of Ishizu's desk groaned under the blonde's grasp.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid that fate dictates me to not reveal that information to you at this time. Suffice it to say that the Pharaoh's destiny is unfolding—he is the only one who can stop my brother." Ishizu bowed her head with a small frown, eyes wet.

Kel slammed her hands against the table, jaw clenched tight—her magic begged to be let out, to squeeze this woman until she was crushed. The blonde fought to hold it back, promised it vengeance later. Her thoughts swarmed through the memories she'd had of her time with the Tomb Keepers. Marik, the little child who followed her around those dank hallways, always asking about the outside world and begging her to teach him what she knew. The precious little sweetheart she had grown to truly care for, and he was suddenly the _enemy?_

"What have you done to him?"

Despite Kel's warning tone and intense violet gaze, Ishizu refused to look up at her and retained her silence. Kel growled, the inferno scorching her edges as its temperature raised slightly.

"If anything happens to Marik, I will personally slit your throat." Kel shoved back from the desk. "Mark. My. Words." Then she was gone.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Grandpa Moto placed two mugs of hot chocolate on the table and sat beside his grandson. Joey nodded in the elder's direction before helping himself to one. Yugi took the other.

"What a night," the blonde mumbled, forehead creased ever so slightly. The past hour had gone by so fast, it felt as though they'd been living in a temporary blur—his dad came home, he got angry, the stupid punch, running, the game shop, Kel, the police, the ambulance, the questioning. Joey shook himself. He didn't even know how to think about what had happened.

"We're just glad you're alright." Plum irises shone above a bright smile, so typical of its owner.

Joey smiled back. "Thanks Yug'."

They sipped their drinks in silence for a moment. The blonde caught Grandpa Moto staring at him with a gentle frown on his face. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair at the attention.

"I don't mean to be serious, but what will happen to you now, Joey?" The elder's voice held that note of concern Joey had grown used to hearing from Yugi's grandfather.

The blonde shrugged. "Since my parents are divorced and Dad had full custody of me, it's likely I'll go into a foster program or somethin' like that."

Yugi's look of utter horror mixed with an underlying sadness tugged at Joey's heartstrings—that kind of program couldn't guarantee where he'd end up, and it was possible he'd have to switch schools. The two Moto's stared at each other, almost as though they were having a silent conversation.

Joey glanced back and forth between them until Grandpa Moto caught his brown gaze with his own dull violet and said, "What would you say if I adopted you as my grandson?"

His jaw dropped. No sound came out of his mouth no matter how hard he tried to speak. He didn't even know what to say. Ever since Yugi had made friends with him and Tristan, Grandpa Moto took them in and babied them as he would his own children. Within the Moto household, he knew he was loved. To see that love in action, and to think that he'd finally have someone who loved him . . . he could barely contain the emotion that suddenly pierced his eyes.

"I don't know what to say. . . ."

"Yes."

Joey stared at his best friend, who blushed at the sudden attention.

"Well, I mean, if you don't _want _to . . ." Yugi glanced down at his hot chocolate and took a sip.

A grin spread across the blonde's lips, turning his attention to Grandpa Moto. "How could I say no?"

Yugi made an odd sort of half-laugh, half-shriek very unbefitting of his manliness that had him in giggles while Grandpa Moto and Joey could only laugh.

"I'll finally have a brother," Yugi explained when the laughing subsided.

Joey's heart warmed at that as they shared a smile. "Me too, Yug'." He paused as his grin turned mischievous. "A little brother I can tease as much as my baby sister."

Yugi sputtered indignantly but the grin behind it revealed that he understood the underlying declaration of love. The younger teen quickly went back to his hot chocolate to hide his expression.

Making mention of his sister calmed Joey's mood a little bit—her operation was scheduled for Monday and he'd promised to be there. Serenity had never been comfortable with hospitals and as a big brother, he couldn't let her go through that alone (his mother didn't count)—not to mention, he'd been the one to finance the whole thing.

Joey jumped slightly when Grandpa Moto cleared his throat and realized both he and Yugi were looking at him. Heat flooded his cheeks. "What I miss?"

Grandpa Moto chuckled. "I just wanted to know if tomorrow morning would be a good time for you to go downtown with me to fill out the paperwork and to collect your things at your father's place."

Joey nodded immediately. "'Course, Gramps."

"But you'll stay the night, right?" Yugi's plum irises begged him to agree.

Just to tease his newfound younger brother, Joey couldn't help but say, "Well . . ." Doing his best to ignore the crushed look on his best friend's face, the blonde couldn't help a small laugh. "Why wouldn't I stay?"

Yugi immediately grinned though he tried to keep a betrayed look on his face. "That's right." He sat up straight and waved a finger at him. "You can never leave this house."

The two erupted into fits of laughter at Yugi's attempt to be demanding. Somewhere in the midst of it, Grandpa Moto bid them goodnight and headed up to the second floor. The two teens finished their hot chocolate and shortly followed him up. Yugi got out the spare mattress they often used when Joey needed a place that wasn't home to stay.

After helping Joey set it out, the younger teen disappeared into the bathroom and returned a moment later wearing a pair of light blue fleece pajamas covered in yellow stars. He plopped on to his bed and grinned down at Joey.

Before Yugi could say anything, Joey cleared his throat. It was time to bring up something he hadn't been able to stop thinking about. "What was Kel doing here tonight?"

Yugi's face immediately fell into a concentrated frown uncharacteristic of his friend. "I don't know. Yami hasn't said anything all night."

A chill ran down Joey's spine at the mention of the ancient spirit stuck in Yugi's body. He'd met the guy once, but admittedly, he still couldn't quite tell the difference between the two when Yami took over, though he had noticed the change in eye color—Yugi had a plum purple while Yami's were vibrant violet. At least Yami seemed nice.

"So," the blonde started slowly, "you weren't actually here during the fight, were you." It came out sounding like a statement rather than a question.

Yugi nodded with a sigh. "Anzu had agreed to take Yami around today to get his mind off his past so he could relax for once. I promised to stay inside the puzzle all day."

"I take it these circumstances are special." Joey indicated the room around them and sweeping them over himself at the same time.

Yugi laughed. "Well, sort of. Technically when he said goodbye to Anzu, that made it okay for me to come back out, but he didn't switch with me until Grandpa had called 911." The frown returned. "Even then, he only told me the bare minimum of the situation."

Joey pursed his lips. He really didn't like to see Yugi so down about this whole thing. Better to try to cheer the guy up. "Doesn't he normally share with you?"

Yugi nodded.

"Then maybe something really important happened, right? He could be thinking about how to tell you about it or maybe he's not sure how to deal with it yet and needs a little time."

Yugi's frown remained for a moment but then his lips split into a smile and he nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right." He rolled over so Joey couldn't see his face anymore, just the top of his wild spikes. "I think everyone should get together tomorrow, maybe in the afternoon, to talk about this." He went silent for a moment.

Joey almost spoke, but realized Yugi wasn't done yet when he tilted his head back a little so his plum eyes could be seen (though Joey wasn't sure how comfortable that was).

"You, Anzu, and Tristan for sure," the younger teen said, "but I also want to include Kiara." His lips quirked in a typical Yugi smile. "I want her to keep hanging out with us, so we need to tell her about Yami."

Joey found himself nodding. "Sounds good." He didn't know how the redhead would react. She seemed to do okay after having been initiated into their group of friends, but if she was anything like Tristan, thinks could go wrong—Tristan was still their friend and loyal to them, but he didn't take the news as well as he could've and had taken an immediate disliking to Yami. Anzu, on the other hand, had grown rather attached to him.

"I'll text Kiara in the morning so we can go down and get our Duel Disks for the tournament after Grandpa takes you downtown," Yugi added. "Maybe we can meet up with Anzu and Tristan later."

Joey nodded again, letting out a loud yawn with the action. "We should get some sleep first."

He made himself comfortable on the mattress as Yugi leapt up to turn the lights off then jumped back onto his bed. They bid each other good night. Because of the exhaustion caused by the night's events, Joey was asleep in minutes.


	7. Teenage Boys Who Don't Know When to Quit

**Lego: **7 months guys. That's a seriously long time. I'm really sorry it's taken me so long to get another chapter out. But I swear I have my reasons! School kept sucking the creativity out of me so I never wanted to write, but I finally finished the chapter earlier this year. I sent it to my beta, but she's been super busy the past 6 months and now she's going on hiatus. So I finally sat down and edited it myself so you guys could finally have a chapter. I have the next two tentatively planned out but not written yet. I'll do as much as I can, but I have no promises as to when it will be ready. Please forgive me! And please enjoy!

**Notes/Warnings: **A litt bit more canon-related things here (though not quite the way the anime did it). I want more character interaction than canon anime.

_Chapter 7:Teenage Boys Who Don't Know When to Quit_

Kiara burst out the front door with a final, "See you later!" over her shoulder. Her mother called after her with a warning to be safe and be home by 7 that night. Kiara filed away the command for later remembrance, more than ecstatic to finally be out of the house. As he'd promised, Seto Kaiba had sent her an invitation to the Battle City Tournament (it had arrived the previous morning). She'd expertly hidden it from her mother—better that she knew about it when she no longer had any control over it—who had no idea what it was Kiara was up to this afternoon, only that she was off to hang out with friends. The letter was safely stowed away in the front pocket of Kiara's jeans.

A smile kidnapped her lips. She, Joey, and Yugi were off to respond to their invitations, and to receive their Duel Disks. Giddy giggling escaped from her, but didn't stop her from walking quickly down the street. When Yugi had called her the night before, he'd asked that she meet him and Joey outside the doors to the Domino City Library at one o'clock sharp.

The library wasn't as far from her house as the high school was, so it only took fifteen minutes to get there. The redhead arrived with five minutes to spare. She gave a breathy laugh, then sat on one of the benches fixated on the lawn to wait for the boys. Her heart pounded in her chest, muscles tense, eyes constantly moving. Who knew getting a Duel Disk for her first tournament would cause her so much anxiety?

In all honesty, she had to attribute the feeling welling in her chest to Yugi. Without him, this wouldn't be possible. From what Seto Kaiba had said in the game shop before, the Battle City Tournament was by invitation only. Without one, a duelist could not participate. There was no way Kiara could have gotten in on her own since she'd had no prior experience. She frowned. _Not anymore. I'll show them that I'm a real duelist too. They won't underestimate me again._

But she still owed him. Maybe she could . . . Her mind shut that thought down immediately as a blush heated her cheeks. She'd find some way to thank him.

Kiara waited with baited breath for the next few minutes, bright green eyes roaming the thin crowds wandering about the streets. She was soon rewarded with the sight of spiky tri-colored hair and a dirty blonde mop. The redhead hopped up from her seat and waved until Yugi and Joey noticed her. They quickly joined her, offering afternoon greetings and bright smiles.

"Are you ready?" Yugi asked.

Kiara nodded. "I've been ready for hours now."

Both boys laughed, then Joey spoke. "Then let's get on it."

The three started toward Kaiba Corp. Headquarters; according to the invitations, they would get their Duel Disks there. They hadn't been walking long when Joey stretched his arms above his head.

"Well, it's official. Gramps and I filed the paperwork this morning."

Yugi grinned. "That's awesome!" A skip sneaked into his step.

Kiara glanced back and forth between the two of them until Joey noticed.

"Gramps adopted me," he said with a laugh.

The redhead stared at him blankly until her mind comprehended what he'd said. A confused smile made its way onto her lips. "That's great."

Yugi fixed Joey with a quizzical stare. "Does that make you a Moto now?"

The blonde shook his head. "Nah. Moto's are cool and all, but there's something special about being a Wheeler." Joey puffed up in pride. "It's something I can share with Serenity too, so we know we're still family even if she lives far away."

Kiara and Yugi shared a smile at that. If she'd learned anything at all about Joey since befriending him, it was his undying devotion to his younger sister. He'd do anything for her, no matter the cost.

Yugi's happy stroll was interrupted by Joey grabbing him around the neck and lifting him off the ground a couple inches. The teen flailed around in his much-taller companion's grip, shouting protests as Joey laughed.

"Now I have a younger brother I can tease all I want!"

Kiara stifled the laughter as best she could, though a few giggles passed through her lips. She found it even harder to contain it, however, when Joey found a particular good tickling spot and Yugi shrieked like a little girl. He begged for mercy until the blonde finally let him go. Once free, Yugi made sure Kiara walked between him and Joey.

They chatted about their excitement for the Battle City Tournament the rest of the way to Kaiba Corp. The trio stopped outside the glass doors and shared an unsure glance.

Joey rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, do you remember where we're 'posed to go, Yug'?"

The shorter teen shook his head, his smile crooked. "Do you know, Kiara?"

Kiara bit her lip. "Did the invitation have anything more specific than 'Kaiba Corp. Headquarters'?" While she pulled out her copy of the letter, Yugi flushed bright red.

"Why didn't I think of that," she heard him mutter. That brought a smile to her face.

Bright green eyes scanned the invitation for the specific room that would lead them to their Duel Disks. Kiara spotted it not a few seconds later. "Room 113, ground level." She glanced up at the two boys. "Any idea where that is?"

A thoughtful look came over Yugi's face, while Joey scrunched his.

"If I remember correctly," the former said, "it's near the duel arena where Kaiba and I first dueled."

Understanding dawned on Joey's face. "That's right." A goofy grin stole his lips. "How can you remember that? That was a while ago."

Yugi shrugged. Kiara looked back and forth between them with a slight tilt to her head. Yugi's first duel with Kaiba must have been the one where Yugi took the title of Best Duelist from him. She only remembered that because it had been big news at the time on all dueling networks.

"Well, let's go in." Joey led the way through the double glass doors. Yugi pointed the blonde in the correct direction down a side hall off to the left. It took a few minutes to find the correct room, but a small line leading out the door alerted them to its presence.

As soon as they reached the end of said line, Yugi and Joey let out simultaneous gasps. "Bakura? Mai?"

The two people directly in front of them turned around. Kiara glanced at the male first. He had long white hair with bangs that spiked downward into his eyes and chocolate-brown eyes that seemed to glow above a gentle smile. He seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't recall where she'd seen him before.

Kiara's attention was kidnapped, however, by the tall woman standing next to him. Long, blonde hair that curled about her hips. Popping, vibrant purple eyes outlined with long, thick lashes. Tall, slender figure with the curves of an elegant woman. Teasing smirk on pink-glossed lips.

_Mai Valentine._

Kiara's head shot back and forth to follow the conversation that then ensued, but felt her gaze being drawn back to Mai more often than not.

"Well, what a pleasant surprise." Mai reached over and punched Joey in the arm in what Kiara assumed was a greeting.

Yugi's grin couldn't have been wider. "Long time no see. It's been a while. Duelist Kingdom, right?"

Mai nodded. "Figured I'd see you around, but never expected to see luck-boy over here." Her smirk gently faded into a wide smile after Joey's loud squawk of indignation.

Yugi then turned to the white-haired male. "I didn't know you were a hardcore gamer, Ryou."

Bakura's smile turned sheepish. "Just a couple smaller tournaments before Duelist Kingdom."

"Now wait just a minute." Mai slung her arm around him. "Kaiba only invited the best and most experienced duelists. You must be good to be here now."

"I guess." Bakura rubbed the back of his head and let out an unsure laugh even as Yugi and Joey agreed with Mai.

Mai glanced toward Kiara then waved a hand in her direction. "Who's your lady friend?"

Kiara froze, her heart beating ridiculously fast. It was one thing getting to see one of her greatest inspirations in person, but to be noticed? She thought she'd faint. She was saved from having to answer when Yugi piped up.

"This is Kiara Jensen. She just moved here from California." He offered her a bright smile. "She's actually never been in any tournaments before, but I pulled some strings to get her here." His smug tone contrasted with the joy in his eyes.

Mai raised an eyebrow at Yugi. "Of course you'd be able to pull strings." Then she stuck out a hand toward Kiara. "Mai Valentine. Nice to meet you, hun."

Kiara did her best to cover her awe as she grasped hands with the older woman (only by about three years, but that still made her older), though she couldn't help but notice Mai's smooth skin and manicured nails painted a soft pink. Her face suddenly flushed and she quickly added, "Nice to meet you too," before dropping Mai's hand.

Bakura offered his hand to first Mai, then Kiara, and shook hands with both females. "I don't know if you remember me all too well, Mai, but I was also at Duelist Kingdom as a spectator. Ryou Bakura." Kiara figured the addition of his name was more for her benefit than Mai's, especially since he shot a smile her way.

Mai nodded. "I remember."

She then glanced over her shoulder. Kiara followed her gaze and noticed the line had moved significantly through their conversation. The group moved nearly as one to catch up.

It wasn't long before Mai reached the only desk in the room. Behind it sat a man with round glasses and a bandana over his head. The other four duelists watched so they'd be prepared when it was their turn.

"Name and invitation please," the man said.

"Mai Valentine," the female blonde responded as she pulled the letter out of her vest and dropped it in the proffered hand.

The clerk looked over the invitation then typed into his computer. His eyes scanned the screen before he typed again, then turned back to Mai. "Don't lose the clear card that came with this," he said, handing her invitation to her. "It would be in your best interest to familiarize yourself with the rulebook for this tournament." The man ducked behind the counter and straightened with a long box labeled with Kaiba Corp.'s symbol in his hand.

"This is your Duel Disk. Only one per duelist participating in this tournament. Do not lose it or damage it—you won't get a replacement." His tone had a hint of irritation in it, as though someone had asked about it previously.

Mai accepted it with a smile. "Thank you." She moved off to the side, presumably to wait for the others.

Bakura went next and received much of the same treatment, though the man raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the boy's hair. Yugi followed him, and got a smirky smile. The man's eyes watched Joey walk away with an odd glint in them before Kiara stepped up. The redhead said the bare minimum in the exchange. Her discomfort increased when the clerk stared at her intensely after typing into his computer. She nodded at his parting words and quickly retreated to Yugi's side. The shorter teen led the procession back out past the line and into the hall.

Yugi and Joey gushed over the Duel Disk box until they made it to the lobby. They stopped off to one side, so as not to be in the way of others milling about, and tore the boxes open. Each of the five duelists looked on in awe as they examined their own devices.

Kiara, whose strong points did not include technology, couldn't help the wonder she felt welling in her chest at the simplistic coloration but intricate design of the machine. She glanced over at Yugi and watched him discover how to strap it to his left arm. He even pointed out the buttons that would activate it.

"This is more complex than I was anticipating," Bakura admitted, searching through the box once more. "But it looks like there's an instruction manual." He smiled. "That will be very helpful."

Kiara nodded. _I'd probably never figure out how to use it on my own without some sort of help._

Yugi eventually nudged Joey and mentioned they could mess around with it when they got home later. This statement brought a raised eyebrow to Mai's face and a tilt of the head to Bakura. Joey grinned and explained his new living arrangements. Bakura smiled and congratulated them while Mai laughed and wished Yugi the best of luck. Joey puffed up indignantly but couldn't help but join everyone else's laughter a few seconds later.

"Hey Mai, Ryou," Yugi said once they'd finished. "We're meeting Tristan and Anzu at the Domino Arcade at 2. We'd love it if you'd come too."

Kiara nodded, secretly hoping Mai would agree. She caught a glimpse of what looked like surprise in the older woman's eyes, but it disappeared so fast, Kiara assumed it had been a trick of the light.

"I'd love to." Mai's grin could split her face directly in half.

Bakura smiled another of his sheepish ones. "I'm afraid I must decline. I have . . . other plans."

"Like what, a date?" Joey waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Bakura's sudden blush answered for him.

"Eh, I was only kidding." The blonde male rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you really?"

"It's not a date," Bakura mumbled.

Yugi interrupted before anyone else could comment. "That's alright. You'll have to join us next time, alright?"

Bakura sent Yugi what could only be a grateful look. "I'll be sure to do that." He packed his Duel Disk away in its box, and hoisted it into his arms. "I'd better get going then."

The group scarcely had time to bid him goodbye before he disappeared through the glass doors. They carefully returned the Duel Disks to their own boxes (Joey less so than the others).

"We can put these in my car while we're at the arcade," Mai mentioned once they'd gotten outside. "It's parked around here." She led them to the multi-level parking garage behind Kaiba Corp. Headquarters. With a click, the trunk popped open. "You can put those in there. I hope everyone remembers which one's theirs. Kiara, you sit in front with me."

All four tucked their boxes away in the trunk then climbed into the car. Mai started it up and got them out of there as quick as possible. They arrived at a parking lot behind the arcade a few minutes later.

Yugi stretched his arms above his head. "Anzu said she'd meet us out front."

Joey got there first and chose the best part of the wall to stand against while they waited. It wasn't long before they could see Anzu and Tristan in the distance, the former waving and shouting. The two caught up in no time.

"Ready?" Yugi asked, his smile bright. Five cheers replied.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Ryou didn't know what had possessed him. He could've just gone with Yugi and everyone else to have a fun afternoon at the arcade. That was much more definite than his half-made plans for the evening, plans that would most likely fall through. He knew Kel only tolerated his presence. She had no reason to want to spend any extra time with him.

That didn't stop him from rushing home to drop off his Duel Disk and change into the classiest casual outfit he owned—a pair of jeans and his favorite white-and-blue-striped T-shirt—then running down to the beach he knew she'd be at. Kel wouldn't care about his clothes, right? She probably wouldn't even say yes to his invitation no matter how charming he looked. He didn't want her to think anything they might do would be serious, so casual was the best way to go.

Ryou watched her from behind a tree near the sidewalk above Kel's training area (as he'd dubbed it). She whirled all over the sand, punching and kicking and dodging. He couldn't see what she did (the enemies she twirled around) but he could see her, each movement her obviously-toned body made. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the blush that colored his cheeks.

It wasn't like he wanted anything big, just one simple—

"You really don't give up, do you?"

Ryou yelped and nearly fell on his butt as he whipped around to find Kel behind him, her arms folded and an eyebrow raised. His face flushed a deep maroon; the heat could've melted at least two tons of ice.

"I-I don't know what—" He stopped himself then tried a smile. "Hi."

She switched her weight to her other foot, obviously unconvinced. "Greetings."

They stood there silently for a few minutes as Ryou struggled to find words, his hands sweating and shaking even as they clutched the loops of his jeans through his shirt. Kel rolled her eyes then turned back toward the downward slope.

Before he could lose his nerve, Ryou blurted, "I was wondering if you wanted to do dinner."

Kel's entire frame froze. He could see the tension coiled tightly in her shoulders and neck, though her vibrant violet eyes rotated slowly to meet his chocolate brown.

"It's the middle of the afternoon."

His face flushed. "Y-Yeah, I know. I was worried you might've already had plans and I didn't want to interfere with them last minute or anything, so I thought I'd ask early. It wouldn't be anything fancy, just you and me in a small café or a restaurant or whatever you'd like, and it wouldn't be a date, just a meal between friends, unless you don't think of me as a friend, which is fine. . . ." He trailed off at the look on her face; his own felt like a volcano. "I-I'm sorry. Was I rambling?"

She wore a look that said, "You think?"

Ryou shuffled at the sudden awkward silence. Kel wasn't looking at him directly, but her lips were pursed and she appeared to be thinking hard about something. After another few agonizing minutes, her eyes finally met his.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt."

Ryou felt his face split in half with the force of his grin. "What time would work best for you?"

Kel looked back down at the beach where she'd been sparring before. The albino cocked his head to the side—as far as he could tell, there was nothing she could be looking at. Then she turned back to him, making him jump.

"Now's fine."

Ryou's heart stopped, his smile frozen on his face. "N-Now?" That was something he hadn't been expecting. It was the middle of the afternoon. He thought maybe she'd want to go in an hour or two.

One golden eyebrow went up. "If you'd rather we went later . . ."

Crap. He couldn't lose her after all the trouble he'd gone to. Ryou laughed awkwardly. "No, no, no. Now's good." His mind whirred. All his plans suddenly flew out his ears and he struggled to catch hold of at least one of the ideas before they completely got away from him.

Ryou must've been staring for longer than he thought because Kel finally said, "That sandwich shop in downtown Domino is a good place."

"Y-Yeah," the albino nodded. He tried not to breathe a sigh of relief. "Shall we go then?"

Kel waved a hand toward the road. "Lead the way."


	8. Concerns of an Ancient Spirit

**Lego: **Um, so, if I thought seven months was bad, then I knew nothing because it's been just over a year and a half. OOPS. School has continued to suck creativity out of me, and also my beta has been on hiatus. She should be returning soon, but still, on hiatus. Without my beta here as motivation, I have a hard time getting stuff done. Also lack of creativity. I'm going to do my best to not let this next chapter take me as long. I have the next six chapters planned out, but there's lots of canon stuff involved with duels and whatnot, so we'll see how fast I can get them out.

**Notes/Warnings: **Woo hoo, a backstory chapter. Not a lot, but enough. I'm not following canon exactly with the main cast's backstories, which you might see here, and also there are headcanons. Let me be. Next chapter we'll get back into more canon stuff.

_Chapter 8: Concerns of an Ancient Spirit_

The first few minutes of their walk to the sandwich shop were awkwardly silent. Ryou kept opening his mouth, but then his cheeks would flush pink, and he'd close it again. Then he'd glance at her and get a strange look in his eyes, but he couldn't seem to get the words out.

Kel rolled her eyes and pinned him with a steady gaze. "If you have something you want to say, just say it."

Ryou jumped, his cheeks darkening to a bright red. "S-sorry. I just, um, I just thought that maybe we could take this opportunity to get to know each other better, you know, if we're going to keep hanging out like this." He looked away from her, slipping a hand behind his wall of white hair to rub the back of his neck.

Her first instinct was to refuse him. She honestly hadn't even really wanted to go out to dinner with him in the first place. But she'd told Bakura that she wanted to look out for Ryou, which meant staying close to him. On top of that, the more she knew about him, the better she could protect him.

But "getting to know each other" implied not only Ryou's past, but hers as well. Could she share that with him? Kel folded her arms and avoided looking at Ryou. It was dark and unpleasant, not to mention he probably wouldn't believe most of it. At the same time, however, if he could accept the magic and intrigue surrounding the Millennium items, surely he wouldn't be _too _surprised about what he would learn.

Kel bit back a sigh. It was only fair, since he seemed willing to share with her. _We'll start slow, _she told herself. _I don't have to share everything._

"Alright," she finally said, catching the albino's attention. "For every question asked, we each must provide a response, and we'll take turns asking questions."

Ryou's face split into a huge grin. "Splendid! Do you mind if I go first?"

Kel waved a hand that said it for her.

He walked with a thoughtful look on his face for a moment, probably trying to pick one of the thousands of questions that had flooded his mind. His eyes lit up, and he turned to look at her. "Why don't we start with the basics? What's your family like?"

Kel released a pent up breath she hadn't known she'd been holding and worked to dissipate the tension in her shoulders. It was a perfectly reasonable question, but, well, she didn't have much to say about her family. She never knew any of her grandparents, she barely remembered her mother, she didn't have fond memories of her father, and Seth had been dead for millennia. Not to mention, the father she thought had been dead turned out to be alive, connected somehow to the Millennium Puzzle he'd always worn as pharaoh. But she couldn't say any of that to Ryou. He might believe she had magic, and some other simple things, but there was no way he would never believe she was royalty, or that she was three thousand years old. No, she couldn't tell him those things. But she could describe what she remembered about her parents and the little she knew of their pasts.

"They're all gone," Kel began slowly, pausing at the look on Ryou's face. Shock rolled through it first, but then a sadness replaced it, and not just any sadness, but familiar sadness. Kel forced herself to ignore it for a moment and continued, "My mother died when I was very young, three years old or so. I don't have any memories of her, but my father always described her as a beautiful woman who cared very deeply for me and often sang me to sleep." She glanced at Ryou to see him staring at her with a half-smile on his face.

"She sounds lovely," he said, probably thinking of his own mother.

A brief smile flashed across Kel's lips, then disappeared. "I think I would've liked to have known her." Then at least she would have had a family member who actually cared for her welfare.

Kel took a deep breath, struggling to put her thoughts together. "My father was a very busy man, and though he took time every once in a while to tell me stories, I didn't see him much." She frowned. Oh no, her father wasn't very much a father at all. He spent most of his time taking care of his pharaoh duties and looking out for the people of his kingdom rather than his own daughter. "I remember that he was a responsible man, and he cared very much for other people, but . . ." She swallowed, biting back the anger. He'd abandoned her a long time ago, and she had no obligation to see him, speak to him, or, Ra forbid, _help_ him, despite what Shadi had ordered. In fact, it was in her best interest to avoid Yugi and his friends as well since it seemed the former pharaoh was somehow connected to them, which meant avoiding meal invitations at the Moto household, including the one Yugi had dropped on her the previous day.

Ryou laid a hand on Kel's shoulder, jerking her from her temporary reverie. She met his chocolate-brown eyes and surprisingly found sympathy there.

"You don't have to continue, if you don't want to," Ryou said, flashing her a gentle smile.

Kel shrugged, not only moving her shoulders but also shrugging off the emotions that memories of her father had brought up. "It's okay," she said quietly. "He died when I was nine, and I moved in with his cousin for a while, until I was old enough to live on my own." He didn't need to know about her kidnapping at age eight or the two years with Nataan that followed or that "old enough to live on my own" meant running from Nataan to keep Egypt safe before she'd even come of age.

She suppressed a relieved sigh, turning vibrant violet to Ryou. "Your turn."

Ryou's lips immediately melted into a smile, but then he looked thoughtful again. "Back when I used to live in England, I lived with my parents and my younger sister, Amane. Dad and I were a lot closer back then, but I suppose I was always a mama's boy." He glanced at Kel, a pink blush dusting his cheeks. "She was a good mom. She knew how to do everything mothers always do, and she was always there for me when I needed her." A sad smile flashed across his lips, but it exploded into a grin. "Amane and I were really close, too. We played together all the time. She's the one who got me into board games." He looked off into the distance, his eyes now far away. "Whenever I play Monster World, I think of her." Kel vaguely remembered that Monster World was a semi-popular tabletop RPG; somehow she wasn't surprised that Ryou played it.

Ryou swallowed, his eyes beginning to mist. "Mom and Amane died in a car crash when I was eight." He took a deep breath; Kel supposed he was trying to hold back a sudden wave of tears. "Dad and I moved after the funeral. I think living in the flat he'd shared with Mom was too much for him. We moved into a flat on the outskirts of London, though it was often just me at home. Dad immersed himself in his work and spent most of his time in Egypt—he's an archaeologist, you know. I was ten when he brought the Millennium Ring back for me." Ryou frowned, fingering the cord that held the golden object around his neck. "I had some problems with bullies in primary school, so before middle school began, Dad moved us to Japan, where he's from; he'd only lived in England before because that's where Mom was from, and she liked it better there."

When Ryou stopped to take a breath, Kel ventured a question that had been bothering her. "Does your father still leave you at home by yourself?"

He met her eyes, chocolate-brown orbs filled with a sadness not easily squashed, and nodded slowly. "I don't think he likes looking at me because I remind him of Mom."

Kel frowned. The embers in her heart began to pulse, a fire smoldering in the midst of them. She knew better than anyone what it was like to have a father who distanced himself from his children. She knew what loss felt like, such as when her mother died or when Seth finally had to kick her out. She may not have had a younger sibling to love, but she had known Mana, who'd taken care of her in her father's place, and she'd lost her friend many millennia ago. Neither of them had a friend to turn to anymore since family had long since abandoned them—Kel doubted Bakura was much of a friend to Ryou at all.

Just before Ryou stepped off the curb to cross the street, Kel grabbed his arm, pulling them both to a stop. She forced the anger burning inside back a little bit and pinned him with a steady gaze of vibrant violet. "I promise you that I won't be like them. I'll never abandon you, Ryou. You can always count on me to be there." And she meant it. Ryou was a kindred spirit, broken, tired, lost. If they moved forward together, maybe, just maybe, they'd both turn out okay.

She nearly laughed at the frozen look of shock on Ryou's face. His eyes had widened to a ridiculous size, and his mouth had dropped open. He finally managed a whispered, "Really?"

Kel felt her lips pulling up slightly into an extremely small smile—that apparently Ryou noticed because his face flushed bright red. "Of course," she said quietly, ignoring the heartstring twangs in her chest. "I do not abandon my friends." She folded her arms, glancing around to make sure no cars were coming, and darted across the road. It was odd to say that word aloud, and it almost made her feel uncomfortable; six years had passed since the last time she'd seen a person she could call friend (though according to Ishizu, he would soon be coming to Domino, and that brought up all sorts of uncomfortable questions and thoughts that she really didn't want to address yet).

"So we're friends now?"

Ryou's sudden voice shot tension into Kel's shoulders. She leveled him with a look she didn't quite feel and said, "Isn't that what I just said?"

His face split into a grin, chocolate brown almost sparkling with joy. Kel rolled her eyes to hide her amusement and secret relief. The albino was too busy grinning up at her to notice the sudden crowd of people in front of them.

With a small sigh and a gentle tug of his arm, she said, "Watch where you're going."

Ryou blinked and looked around, just barely avoiding a group of middle school students. He apologized under his breath after them.

When they finally made it to a less dense area, Ryou stopped to catch his breath. "I always forget how busy downtown can be."

Kel's lips pursed. She hated crowds, a big reason she rarely ventured into downtown Domino City. But at least she could maneuver them without too much trouble. And as much as she'd like to avoid it altogether, sometimes she could only find much-needed items in Domino's central shopping district. So when the opportunity came up, Kel would always stop at a small sandwich café in downtown, the very same café she and Ryou were headed to.

Ryou looked around, then pointed across the street. "Ah, there it is."

Kel followed his finger. Yes, that was the one. The two walked down to the nearest crosswalk, waited for the sign to give them the okay, and crossed the street. He held the door to the café open for her, then followed her to the counter. They only had to wait a few minutes for the small line to shrink before they could give the cashier their order. Ryou paid the man and led Kel to a small corner table hidden away from the rest of the patrons.

"I don't come here often," Ryou commented as he held Kel's chair out for her.

She sat down gratefully, nodding in her companion's direction. "Neither do I, but it's the best place in the area."

He sat across from her. "I agree." His polite smile widened a bit, chocolate brown glimmering in the light of the café. "I suppose it's your turn to ask a question."

Kel blinked. Right. They were asking questions. Suddenly all thoughts fled from her mind. Gosh, she hadn't done this sort of thing for many, many years. She had no clue what sort of thing to ask. Then her violet orbs landed on the golden object hanging around Ryou's neck.

"Tell me about your Millennium Ring."

Ryou's face froze. His skin somehow paled a bit more as his mouth slowly closed. Kel instantly regretted asking the question, but she hesitated on taking it back. He stared at her pensively for a moment, then looked down at the object in question.

"Um, well, I told you my dad brought it back for me from Egypt when I was ten. It's been with me ever since." He flashed her an unsure smile, eyes not meeting hers. "It was the first gift my father had given me in a long time, so I was really excited to get it, and even now, I still treasure it." Ryou fingered the top of the ring then glanced up at her. "I-I also mentioned problems with bullies in school, right?"

Kel nodded, lips pursed. Unfortunately, his polite demeanor tended to attract bullies, so she wasn't surprised that he'd had to deal with that before.

Ryou's lips twitched, then he went on. "At first I didn't realize there was a spirit attached to my ring; I'm not even sure he was really awake when it came into my possession." He swallowed, now rubbing the ring with both hands. "I've never been that great at making friends. I only played with Amane. But after she died and we moved across town, I didn't have any friends at school. I tried to make friends at my new school, but most of them tried to take advantage of me, and that's when the spirit came out." His shaking hands clenched into fists around the top of the ring.

Kel reached across the table and gently stopped Ryou's restless hands. He looked up at her, eyes wide.

"You don't have to say any more," she said quietly. She could imagine what happened then: the spirit punished those who would hurt his host—some sort of twisted show of caring on Bakura's part.

Ryou's smile was shaky, but she could see the gratitude there. "He put a lot of them into comas, and eventually, they piled too high, so Dad brought me to Japan." He looked down at Kel's hand, still resting on top of his fists. "Yugi was my first friend here, and even though my spirit seems to want to harm Yugi's spirit, I haven't had many problems since."

Ryou looked up at her, his smile brightening to effectively wipe away all negative emotion. "The spirit and I aren't friends, but I'm grateful for him."

Kel frowned. The last time she'd spoken to Bakura, he'd said that he cared for only the safety of Ryou's body, not necessarily the boy himself. But Ryou's story indicated he cared a little bit, if the boys' comas meant anything at all. She held back a sigh. Well, she'd promised to be Ryou's friend, but that didn't mean Ryou and Bakura couldn't try.

"Bakura."

Ryou's chocolate-brown eyes shot to hers. They were wide, and his forehead crinkled with his sudden frown.

"Your spirit," Kel said. "He told me to call him Bakura."

Ryou opened his mouth, then shut it quickly. He seemed to think about that a moment before he sighed and smiled. "Bakura then."

Kel smiled briefly, but the moment was interrupted when their number was called. Ryou leapt up to fetch their food, and the two of them sat in companionable silence as they made their way through the meal. As Kel chewed her sandwich, she contemplated what she would say when they'd finished. After all, she'd asked about the Millennium Ring, which meant she had to talk about something of equal value, and that left only one thing. The blonde kept her eyes fixed on the table.

All too soon, her cup and plate were empty, leaving her free to speak. Kel glanced down at the golden orb hanging from her neck. She reached up, fingers brushing the lotus flower carved onto the surface.

"It's only fair that I tell you about my Crystal now." She avoided looking at Ryou; it would be easier that way. Her mind stretched back to her childhood and the vague memories she had of that time.

"My father gave it to me for my sixth birthday. He said it was meant for me when I was older, but he had a foreboding dream that convinced him otherwise." Kel frowned. She supposed the dream was more than just a father's worries because only two years later, Nataan took her away, and she didn't see the man she called father again.

Ryou chuckled, bringing Kel's inquisitive eyes to his sad chocolate brown. "Seems like fathers' gifts are something we can't help but treasure."

Kel nodded slowly. He was probably right. She supposed she held onto the hope that her father really did care about her all those years ago, even if she couldn't see it.

With a shake of her head, she continued, "Egyptians have always been quite fond of gold, but gold imbued with magic was a great treasure. My cousin Seth said this crystal had been in my father's family for generations, but no one's sure exactly where it came from." Kel lifted the orb off her chest and tilted it toward Ryou.

Ryou pointed at the symbol on it. "I thought it was a Millennium item the first time I saw it."

Kel nodded. She remembered. It had been the first time they'd met and the reason Bakura had come out as well.

"It's a lotus flower, right? They're quite common in Egyptian artwork." Ryou reached out to brush his fingers against the carving, flashing Kel a smile.

"Right. They represent rebirth or the sun in our mythology," Kel said, her eyes fixed on the golden orb clasped tightly in her fingers. "The Crystal has the power of memory. With it, I can view, find, or manipulate memories." She'd never actually used them on another person, but with it, she could view even her earliest memories with perfect clarity.

Ryou's jaw dropped. "Really?"

Kel nodded. "Mostly useless, if you ask me, but . . ." She paused, wrapping her fingers fully around the orb. "I feel more at ease when it's with me." The blonde wasn't sure when she'd become so sentimental, but at least it was Ryou she was sharing this with.

"I understand that feeling," Ryou said with a bright smile, but his eyes were soft. Yes, she was glad she'd shared that with her albino friend.

They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Kel stood. "I'll walk you home."

Ryou immediately hopped up, brow furrowed. "Shouldn't I walk you home?"

"I appreciate the thought, but it's better the other way around." Kel pinned him with a firm gaze as the albino opened his mouth to protest.

He wisely backed down and nodded. "Alright, alright. Let's go then."

The boy called Ryou Bakura existed solely for the spirit of the Millennium Ring to use. The young boy was the host Bakura needed to interact with the living world so that he could accomplish his mission: find the seven Millennium items and resurrect Zorc. He told himself time and time again that what his host did in his daily life did not concern him. Bakura rarely allowed himself to interact with the boy.

But Kel was a different story. She was a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and she both intrigued him and concerned him. So when he heard his host ask her on a date (if one could even call it that), he couldn't help but listen in. Bakura made sure his host didn't notice he was even there, but he still watched through the other's eyes. If he had to be honest with himself, it was entirely worth it. He now knew much more about Kel than he thought he'd ever learn this fast, and he'd also discovered that she was a bit more of a threat than he'd first suspected. Bakura now knew of at least three magical abilities that she had on top of her combat capabilities. That was enough to make anyone cautious, especially since she seemed so keen on keeping his host safe.

It was that last part that made him hesitate. With her by his side, he'd never have to worry about his host getting into trouble; Kel would always be there to keep him safe, which left Bakura to do what he wanted. An investment in Kel's friendship would be a great asset to him, but he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to convince her that it was a worthwhile endeavor, at least not yet. So he watched his host interact with her, hoping for an opening.

The two had been quiet since they'd left the café. His host's thoughts flashed through his mind in a whirlwind, but he couldn't latch onto anything, so he wouldn't speak. Bakura had gathered that Kel preferred the silence, which explained hers. The spirit rolled his eyes. It was quite infuriating at times, watching the two interact. He really wanted to take control of the situation, but he knew that wouldn't win him any points with Kel. But if he didn't, the silence would kill him.

Right before Bakura nearly lost to his frustration, his host cleared his throat. When he didn't go on, Kel flashed him a look, one eyebrow raised. The teen's cheeks reddened; Bakura rolled his eyes again. "I-I was wondering if you'd like to come watch me duel tomorrow."

Bakura wasn't surprised by his host's question, and he figured Kel shouldn't have been either; however, the look in her eyes could have been regret.

With a sigh, Kel fingered the white scars on her upper left arm. "Meet me at eight above the beach where we met."

The teen's body flooded with warmth as he grinned. "You're the best."

Kel gave him a tight smile. Bakura assumed she probably hadn't really wanted to agree to his host's shenanigans.

The teen and Kel suddenly stopped, and Bakura realized they'd reached his host's apartment. Maybe this was his opening. He mentally nudged the younger male. 'I'd like to speak with Kel privately, if you don't mind.' The teen's soul jolted, and Bakura felt his host's inward frown.

'S-sure.' Out loud, the boy said, "Um, thanks for going to eat with me. I had a great time." His grin sparkled. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

Kel nodded.

His host rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll be going now, but the sp—I mean, Bakura wants to talk to you."

An involuntarily shudder rippled through Bakura's soul. His host had never called him anything other than "spirit." It seemed unnatural for the teen to do so, and Bakura wasn't sure he'd ever get used to it or that he even wanted to.

Kel's violet eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't protest. Bakura switched places with his host, mentally blocking him from hearing or seeing anything from the outside world. He distantly noted that the younger boy had locked himself in his soul room, which suited Bakura just fine.

"Evening," Kel said quietly, arms folded tightly against her body.

Bakura allowed a smirk. "Same to you."

"What do you want?" Her voice was cold and right to the point.

Bakura sighed inwardly. This could be harder than he thought. "I've been thinking recently." He paused to gauge her reaction; her facial expression didn't change. "You've told me that looking out for my host is important to you."

"Ryou."

Bakura's lips twitched toward a frown. "Yes, that is my host."

She pierced him with an intense stare. "His name is Ryou."

Bakura opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. Of course. She'd said the same thing to his host earlier, which was why the younger boy was now calling him something other than "spirit." A shudder ran through his soul again. He'd never called his host anything than that—his host. Part of him always knew the boy had a name, an identity, but Bakura had never thought of him as anything more than a pawn. The spirit took in a breath. If he wanted Kel's cooperation, he'd have to start compromising on some things, no matter how distasteful they might be.

"Right, Ryou." Bakura cleared his throat. "Keeping him safe is important to you."

She nodded.

He continued. "I just thought maybe we could . . . come to an agreement, of sorts."

Kel shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "What kind of agreement?"

"You keep . . . _Ryou _out of trouble, however you decide to do that. As long as he stays safe and uninjured, I don't care how it's done." Bakura flashed her a smirk.

Kel's face wrinkled with a small frown. "And what'll you do for me?"

Bakura spread his arms. "I promise no innocents will be hurt." He waited quietly as Kel pondered his proposal. If he had to be honest with himself, he was certain he had her in the palm of his hand. From what he could tell, Kel was a protector, and the opportunity to be such with the additional promise that he would do nothing to innocents should reel her in.

As expected, Kel nodded. "I suppose we have an agreement then." She held out a hand.

Thrill shot through Bakura's body. He shook her outstretched hand once and then released it. "Indeed."

"See you tomorrow then." Without another word, Kel turned away and left. Bakura watched her until she disappeared, a smirk dancing across his lips.


End file.
